Resetting your iPhone to factory settings might be a good idea if you’re planning to sell your phone or if you’ve used up all other troubleshooting options. Bear in mind that you will only be able to access your old data if you backed it up first.
The iCloud Route
It is strongly recommended to first back up your data if you plan on performing a factory reset on your iPhone XS Max. Here’s how to do it. Tap the “Settings” app icon on your phone’s Home screen. Then, tap your “Apple ID” and “iCloud” tabs, respectively. Select the items that you want to back up from the menu and tap “iCloud Backup” and then “Back Up Now”.
With the backup out of the way, it is time to proceed with resetting your phone. Exit to the Home screen of your iPhone and tap the “Settings” app icon. Once it opens, tap the “General” tab from the menu. Next, find the “Reset” button and tap on it. The phone will offer you several reset options. You should go with “Erase All Content and Settings”. Confirm your choice by tapping “Erase iPhone” in the pop-up window.
The reset of the phone usually takes up to several minutes. After it’s done, you should check to see if everything went back to the original settings. If everything went OK, you will see the iOS Setup Assistant screen when you turn the phone back on. In order to set your phone up again, you will be required to log in using your Apple ID credentials. You will be presented with several options – “Restore from iCloud Backup”, “Restore from iTunes Backup”, and “Set Up a New Phone”. If you backed your data up on iCloud, you can opt to restore it now.
The iTunes Route
The alternative route will require you to use the good old iTunes in combination with your PC or Mac. Similar to the iCloud route, it is strongly recommended to back your data up before proceeding with the factory reset.
To back up your phone through iTunes, you will need to install the latest version of iTunes on your computer. If you already have it installed, check if it is the latest version. If it’s not, update it before proceeding.
After the installation/update, launch the app and connect your iPhone XS Max to the computer. Select your phone and click on the “Summary” tab in the menu on the left side. Choose the backup options from the “Backups” menu on the right side. It is recommended to tick the “Encrypt iPhone backup” box. Next, click the “Back Up Now” button and wait for iTunes to finish the backup process.
Before proceeding, disable the “Find My iPhone” function on your phone: Settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone > toggle off.
When the backup process is done, go to the “Summary” tab and click the “Restore iPhone” button in your phone’s main info section. When the pop-up window appears, click “Restore” and agree to the license agreement. Download the backup data.
If everything went smoothly, you will see the iOS Setup Assistant when you turn your phone on. You will get the same restoration and setup options as you would going the iCloud route.
Conclusion
Resetting your iPhone XS Max to its factory settings from time to time is a good way to keep it running smoothly. Now that you know how it’s done, you’ll be able to do it in a few minutes.
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