Can one totally clear the lifetime timer on an iPhone?

[10-Dee-Q]

hi im asking this because i want to buy an unlocked iphone 4 verizon from the web
its 32GB and the seller claims it to be a brand new unit, i did checked with apple.com regarding the serial number and it says it was made in 2012
but the seller says it is totally brand new with 00:00 lifetim timer
so im asking this , is there anyway that you can erase the lifetime timer on an iphone ?

 

[Applejuiced]

Isn't that counter only "time since last full charge"?
Settings,general,usage.
That doesn't mean much.

 

[inselstudent]

A "restore as new" resets the lifetime counter.

The screenshot was taken on an iPhone 4 from 2010. It's obviously been used for more than 21 minutes of phone calls.

 

[gpsouza]

I guess you're talking about warranty stuff, right?
If an iPhone was never activated it's, then, a brand new unit. If it was used one time you can do nothing and the seller can't reset the time when it was activated.

 

[Topher227]

I believe he's talking about the 'lifetime call timer'.

This gets reset after a restore... It's not like the old days (like with with a Motorola Nextel or one of my old Verizon LG's) where that timer could never be reset.

Unless if the phone is advertised at a killer discounted price, i would just walk away now... the seller is already lying to you.

 

[rockyroad55]

I'm calling BS on the seller. Why hold on to a phone for a year to sell it as brand new? Wouldn't it make more economical sense to sell it in 2012 when the value was higher than it is now?

 

[cynics]

A "restore as new" resets the lifetime counter.

The screenshot was taken on an iPhone 4 from 2010. It's obviously been used for more than 21 minutes of phone calls.

Strange. I've restored my iPhone from new several times. However...

Thats obviously the lifetime since I first got it knowing my usage.

 

[Applejuiced]

Here's a screenshot of my i5 lifetime usage listed.
I had the phone for about 8 months now.