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php111

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 31, 2011
200
0
Hey everyone,

Yes, this iPhone will be re-used again after performing this. What is the really most secure way of wiping/erasing the entire iPhone 4 as if it came out of the manufactured again? Will someone please post instructions and details as well. I'm not sure if Erase All Conent and Settings will take care of my original questions? I read that could take several of hours? In my case while performing it that way, it only takes a few minutes. I won't do it that way if and only that won't erase the phone to manufactured settings. I have the iPhone 4 with iOS 6.0.1.

Thank you,
 

php111

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 31, 2011
200
0
I always keep iMessanger off, so why does that method doesn't work for me? It takes less then a couple of minutes which doesn't seem right, or does it?
 

Mr Hill

macrumors 6502a
Apr 28, 2012
500
1
Charlotte, NC
Restore in iTunes works best. I bought a phone from someone and it still had some pics on there after they erased all content and settings from the phone.
 

qckslvrsiete

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2010
230
0
Hey everyone,

Yes, this iPhone will be re-used again after performing this. What is the really most secure way of wiping/erasing the entire iPhone 4 as if it came out of the manufactured again? Will someone please post instructions and details as well. I'm not sure if Erase All Conent and Settings will take care of my original questions? I read that could take several of hours? In my case while performing it that way, it only takes a few minutes. I won't do it that way if and only that won't erase the phone to manufactured settings. I have the iPhone 4 with iOS 6.0.1.

Thank you,

As I understand it, (and someone more technical than myself can correct this or explain it better) older iPhones without encryption took several hours to wipe because they were literally going through and erasing the data on the phone. With the newer iPhones having encrypted data, it only takes a few minutes because basically when you erase content and settings, the encryption key is scrambled so that the old data cannot [easily] be read, rendering all your contents and settings effectively unsuable without physically erasing the data sectors.

As an extra "just in case" step whenever I sell my phones, I go ahead and fill the phone to capacity with huge (~4gb) blank mp3 files to actually overwrite the physical data on the phone and then erase content and settings all over again. I repeat this process three or four times. I don't know if it does anything, but it gives me a bit more peace of mind, and only takes about 20-30 minutes longer.
 

NT1440

macrumors G5
May 18, 2008
14,461
20,391
I'm not acting scary. Should I put it in DFU first using redsn0w then use iTunes to restore?

I don't know why you'd waste your time using a program for DFU when you can do it in under 15 seconds manually.

That said, if you're really concerned just format it a few times.

Do you have NSA or FBI level people after you? If not you're way far and away overthinking this. No one is going to disassemble the phone and hook it up to extremely sensitive equipment to try to salvage some of your data.
 

qckslvrsiete

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2010
230
0
I should add that I believe encryption became a feature on iPhones beginning at the 4. I remember the erasing process for my 3g taking literally four or five hours.
 

tymaster50

Suspended
Oct 3, 2012
2,833
58
Oregon
yeah dude relax you're an average guy, nobody wants your info (not to sound harsh) just restore it and be done with it.
 
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