Guide to Completely Erase Data on iPhone to Avoid Privacy Leak

With growing instances of data leak and misuse, there’s a fear of digital data on iPhone landing in wrong hands. Personal photos, messages, videos, contacts, or sensitive information such as bank details, shopping apps ID etc., are at risk when selling, trading off, recycling or donating your iOS device.

So what can you do to keep your old iPhone data away from strangers’ eyes and make it 100% unrecoverable?

One solution is the commonly used Apple’s recommendation — erase iPhone data by choosing ‘erase all content and settings’ on your device. However, with professional hackers and sophisticated software available, erasing data by this method doesn’t guarantee data privacy.

Experts suggest using trusted iPhone erasure software that is 100 % safe. The software can make iPhone data unrecoverable beyond the reach of any tool.

Let’s understand in detail how to permanently erase data on iPhone by these techniques.

Clean iPhone by using ‘Erase All Content and Settings’

To clear all data from iPhone use the’Erase All Content and Settings’ option in the settings of your iOS device. It is like factory resetting your iPhone.

All the app data, settings, passwords, photos, videos, contacts, documents, messages, Calendar, chats, music, audio files etc., gets deleted after factory reset from iPhone.

However, don’t forget to first take the backup of your iPhone data in iCloud or iTunes.

Steps to erase iPhone via Settings:

• Go to Settings.
• Navigate to General > Reset> Erase All Content and Settings.
• Click Erase Now in the dialog box. Enter Passcode and Apple ID password, when prompted.

This will erase iPhone data turning the device off. When you power on the iPhone, you will see all its data is deleted including, photos videos, apps, contacts etc.

Permanently wipe iPhone to 0% recovery – Secure & tested method

Although deleting data via ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ on iPhone will make your device as clean as new, but it is not enough. Your iPhone data after factory reset is still recoverable by hackers. Thus, to protect privacy and prevent data leak by any means, it is essential to erase iPhone with the help of a professional iOS eraser software .

You can find several iOS cleaner software online but here we recommend Stellar Toolkit for iPhone. The efficient software is the best way to wipe iOS device before you sell , recycle, or donate.

It removes your personal videos, pictures, contacts, notes, calendar, browsing history, call log, chats, messages, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other sensitive information saved on your iPhone. The secure DIY software supports the latest iOS 16 and below versions. You can erase all variants including iPhone 6, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone SE, iPhone 11, and above.

You can take the free trail and gage the software features and user-friendliness.

Step-by-step guide to erase iPhone data permanently:

Step 1: Download and launch Stellar Toolkit for iPhone on computer.

Step 2: Click on Erase Data module.

Step 3: On Erase iPhone Data screen, click **Next.
**

Step 4: As you see the Click Device to Select screen appears, connect your iPhone to computer.

Step 5: Select Erase.

Step 6: In the Erase Process box, select Yes.

Step 7: Data Erase Complete message box appears that asks for confirmation before erasing the data. Click OK.

Wrapping Up

After erasing complete iPhone data by using the secure iPhone eraser software by Stellar, there’s no need to worry about personal data leak. The software algorithms ensure that even the most advanced iOS data recovery tool cannot retrieve your information.

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FAQs

How do you permanently erase data so that it cannot be recovered from iPhone?

Use the best iPhone data eraser tool to permanently wipe iPhone data. This is a assure way to prevent data leak and protect privacy.

Recover Lost Photos during Transfer from iPhone to PC or Mac

Summary: Lost your precious photos during the transfer from iPhone to computer? Learn 4 ways to recover photos lost during transfer. These methods are applicable to all variants of iPhone and iPad or in short all iOS devices.

Transferring photos from iPhone 15, 14/13/12/X/8/7 to PC or Mac system is a simple task that can often get skewed causing serious photo loss situations. If you have also lost your valuable photos during one such event of photos transfer, then here’s a guide to get back photos lost during the transfer.

Photo loss while transferring from iPhone to a computer is a common problem faced by many. You try to transfer your photos from your iPhone to your computer and select the location to save them.

But when you check the drive folder in the system, to your shock the photos are not there! And if this is a ‘cut and paste’ transfer from iPhone, it’s a big jolt for you.

But do not worry, thankfully, data recovery technology is always there to recover lost photos in any situation.

There can be several reasons for the loss of photos during transfer, such as below:

• Sudden power failure during the transfer of photos
• Disconnecting iPhone from the PC/Mac while transferring photos
• Lack of enough space in the drive to save the photos
• Corruption of the drive in which you saved the photos
• Virus in the system
• Anti-virus on your PC/Mac scans and detects viruses in the photo resulting in photo loss

How to Recover Photos Lost during Transfer from iPhone 15, 14/13/12/11/X/8/7 to PC/Mac?

Typically, if you have not deleted the required photos from your iPhone, try transferring them again from the device to the PC or Mac. If already deleted then, try the below methods to recover the photos lost during transfer from iPhone 15, 14/13/12/11/X/8/7 to PC or Mac.

Solution 1: Search for missing photos in the PC/Mac hard drive

It might be possible you transferred the iPhone photos to the PC but forgot the location where you saved them. Try once searching the complete hard drive for your photos.

1. Click on My PC or My Computer
2. Type the command kind:=picture into the search box and press Enter
3. The list of images will be displayed
4. Right-click on the required photos from the search results, and click Open File Location to view where they are saved

For MAC follow the below steps:

1. Open the Finder and go to your home directory
2. Go to the Pictures folder
3. Right-click on Photos Library.photoslibrary and select Show Package Contents
4. Open the folder Masters to find the images in the Photos app. The Masters folder comprises the photos by date in subfolders. You can open the folders of the relevant dates to find your pictures.

Solution 2: Recover lost transferred photos from iTunes Backup

If you have synced your iPhone to iTunes, you can recover lost photos from this Apple’s backup utility.

Drawback: You cannot selectively pick the lost photos during the file transfer, rather complete data of iTunes is saved on your PC/Mac.

| Note: In Mac, the iTunes backup is stored in Library > Application Support > MobileSync > Backup.
In Windows 7, 8, 10, & 11 the iTunes backup is stored in Users > username > AppData > Roaming > Apple Computer > MobileSync > Backup.

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Solution 3: Recover Lost Photos from iCloud

If you have iCloud backup of the iOS device, you can recover photos lost during transfer through the cloud facility.

Drawbacks: You cannot directly restore iCloud backup photos on your PC or Mac. It is saved only to an iOS device.
You have to reset your iPhone X/8/7 to factory settings to restore the iCloud backup on it.

How to recover data from iCloud Backup on a computer

1. Take the backup of your iPhone data on iTunes
2. Reset your iPhone to factory settings
3. Go to the Apps & Data screen of your iPhone by pressing the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds and following the onscreen instructions
4. Under Apps & Data, click on Restore from iCloud Backup
5. Sign in to iCloud by entering your Apple ID
6. Select Choose Backup and pick the relevant one from the list of backups
7. Tap After completion of the process, the iPhone restarts and recovers complete data including photos, apps, videos, etc.
8. Select the required photos from the recovered data and transfer them again to your PC or Mac from iPhone

Tip: For selective recovery of lost photos from iCloud/iTunes use Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone . It recovers missing Photos from Camera Roll and Photo Stream in iCloud/iTunes/iPhone. You can preview, select and save only the desired photos at your preferred location.

Solution 4: Use the Best Photo Recovery Software

When no backup, take the help of a third-party photo recovery tool. This is regarded as the easiest way to recover lost photos during the transfer from iPhone 15, 14/13/12/11/XR/XS/X/8/7 to PC/Mac. Use a risk-free application – Stellar Photo Recovery to recover your lost photos from your PC or Mac

The do-it-yourself software recovers all types of media files lost due to deletion, corruption, virus infection or accidental formatting, etc.

How to recover lost photos using Stellar Photo Recovery?

1. Launch Stellar Photo Recovery Software.
2. On the home screen of the software – ‘Select What to Recover’. Click Next.
3. Next, select the location from where you want to recover. Click Scan to start the scanning process
4. A dialog box of ‘Scanning Completed Successfully!’ displays the scan results – the number of files found and the size of the data. In the left pane of the main window, all the recovered data is listed. You can preview them in the right pane.
   Note: If you do not see the required photos in the list, opt for the Deep Scan option at the bottom.
5. Click Recover. You can also choose to recover only the selective files – select the photos that you need, right-click, and click Recover.
6. In the dialog box, specify the location to save the image files. Click Save. All the files get saved at the specified location Click Save. All the files get saved at the specified location.

Conclusion

Backup is the undisputable solution to any kind of photo loss situation. However, if you have not taken your photos backup in iTunes, iCloud, or other storage media, recovery through Stellar Photo Recovery software is the best way to get back photos lost during transfer from iPhone 15, 14/13/12/XS/XR/X/7/8 to PC or Mac.

Why Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone takes time in scanning my iPhone?

Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone thoroughly scans your iOS device, computer, and iCloud to retrieve every bit of data. However, the scanning time of the software depends upon the following:

• The amount of data in your iOS device: Greater the amount of data on your iPhone more time it will take to scan.
• The size of RAM on your iPhone: Greater the RAM more will be the scanning time. For instance, the software will take more time to thoroughly scan an iPhone 12 with 6GB RAM compared to iPhone 11 that has 4GB RAM.
• RAM of your computer: The recommended system requirement of Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone is 8GB. Although it can scan and recover from 4GB RAM computer, but you may experience slow speed.

7 Ways to Fix iTunes Error 9

Summary: The iTunes error 9 appears when iPhone update through iTunes gets failed. It’s annoying as the error doesn’t let you use your device further. Learn 7 quick methods to fix iTunes error 9 and update the device without any issue.

Trying to get the new iOS on your iPhone but facing iTunes Error 9?

The iTunes error 9 usually occurs while updating your iPhone via iTunes. The error annoyingly neither lets you update the iPhone nor do any activity on your device. Thus, it urgently requires a fix so that you can work on your iPhone and also update the device.

In this post, we will share with you 7 best possible ways to fix iTunes Error 9. But before that let’s know what is causing the iTunes error on trying to update your iPhone.

Why does iTunes Error 9 occur?

It is difficult to determine the exact reason of your iTunes Error 9. But it may be due to any of the reasons given below :

• USB port or cable is damaged
• You have jailbroken your iPhone
• Corrupt network settings
• Security software prevents access to Apple server

How to fix iTunes error 9?

Since it is usually, regarded as a hardware issue, you should begin with hardware-related workarounds and later move to other software troubleshooting methods.

Going by the order, try below methods to fix iTunes Error 9

1. Check USB cable & port
2. Restore iPhone with iTunes on another computer
3. Force your device to restart
4. Check Anti-Virus & Firewall on your computer
5. Update iTunes to the latest version
6. Use Recovery Mode to Fix iTunes Error 9
7. Choose to update iPhone wirelessly

Solution 1: Check USB cable and port

Make sure your iPhone USB cable and port are properly connected and working fine. Do the below checks and fix:

• USB cable is not loosely connected to the computer
• You are using the USB cable that you got with your iPhone or another certified cable
• The USB port is not damaged. Try by shifting to another USB port

Solution 2: Restore iPhone with iTunes on another computer

iTunes error 9 is generally regarded as a hardware-related problem. Sometimes it is difficult to detect the issue. The easier way out is to restore iPhone using iTunes on another computer or laptop. If still the error persists, move on to the other workarounds.

Solution 3: Force restart your device

Apple suggests trying once force a restart of iPhone to fix iTunes error 9.

iPhone X, iPhone 8, & iPhone 8 Plus users: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then, press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.

iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus users: Press and hold both the Side and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo.

Solution 4: Check Anti-Virus & Firewall on your computer

Antivirus or Firewalls in your computer may prevent iTunes to connect with Apple server.  Check the security software settings, and tweak them if required to allow iTunes to access the network servers.

Solution 5: Update iTunes to the latest version

Updates usually bring in new features, fix existing bugs and make the application smarter. If the iTunes error 9 is due to outdated iTunes, installing the latest version may help to fix the error.

How to update iTunes to the latest version?

For Windows users: Launch iTunes on PC. On the menu bar, click Help > Check for Updates and follow the given instructions

For Mac users: Launch iTunes on Mac. On Menu bar go to iTunes > Check for Updates and follow the on-screen instructions.

After updating iTunes, reboot your computer and check if the iTunes error 9 is fixed.

Solution 6: Use Recovery Mode to fix iTunes Error 9

iPhone in Recovery Mode

All the above methods fail to fix iTunes error 9? As last resort choose Recovery Mode to restore iPhone in iTunes. Choosing this option means you will lose all your iPhone data. Thus, first take backup in iCloud or iTunes before applying this fix.

How to put your iPhone into Recovery Mode? (For iPhone 8, 8 Plus, & X users)

• Update your iTunes
• Press and release the Volume Up button and then the Volume Down button
• Press and hold the Side button till connect to iTunes screen appears
• Once the iPhone is in Recovery Mode, connect your computer with iPhone via USB cable. You will see the white Apple logo screen.
• When iTunes asks you to update or restore, click Update to reinstall iOS

Lost iPhone data after restoring iPhone in iTunes via Recovery Mode?

Losing iPhone data after update through Recovery mode is a panicky situation. It gets even more serious if you are unable to restore from iCloud or iTunes backup. In such situation, Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone comes as big relief**.** The software restores complete iPhone information from iPhone, iCloud and iTunes.

Stellar iPhone data recovery software quickly and safely restores all iPhone data including photos, videos, music, contacts, messages, Safari bookmarks, etc. It also recovers the lost WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, Viber, Tango, and Kik messages. The software is extremely easy to use. Simply launch it on your Mac or PC, connect your iPhone to the computer and follow the on-screen instructions.

 

Solution 7: Choose to update iPhone wirelessly

Select Software Update in Settings on iPhone

Alternatively update iPhone wirelessly, without using iTunes.  Make sure you have a continuous Internet connection. Go to Settings > General > Software Update. If an update is available, tap on Download and Install.

Conclusion

Although iTunes Error 9 rarely occurs but is a frustrating situation as you are unable to do any other activity on your device.

You can sometimes easily fix the Error 9 by doing a simple check if your USB cable, port connection, and firewall settings are appropriate. Restarting the device and updating iTunes to the latest version can also resolve Error 9. As a last resort, update iOS in iTunes through Recovery Mode. Nevertheless, you can also choose to bypass iTunes and update your device wirelessly.

One of the above methods is surely going to help you out. Also do not forget to share with us in the comment box below, which of these methods helped you to fix iTunes Error 9.