Disposing of an old iPhone?

[Faize]

I was cleaning out my closet last night when I discovered my old iPhone 3G. I don't want it anymore, but at the same time I'm mildly worried about someone recovering the data off of it.

IIRC old iPhones don't have full disk encryption, so how can I:

a) securely wipe the phone and
b) dispose of it in an environmentally sensible way?

 

[TruckdriverSean]

I was cleaning out my closet last night when I discovered my old iPhone 3G. I don't want it anymore, but at the same time I'm mildly worried about someone recovering the data off of it.

IIRC old iPhones don't have full disk encryption, so how can I:

a) securely wipe the phone and
b) dispose of it in an environmentally sensible way?

A) not sure
B) re-use is FAR more enviro friendly than recycling. Sell or donate it.

 

[CEmajr]

To securely wipe the phone plug it into your computer and do a factory restore through iTunes.

To dispose of it list it on eBay or craigslist and someone will buy it.

 

[rigormortis]

i just wanted to say that apple store will pay the recycling costs and send you a box

https://www.apple.com/recycling/

dammt. bright star won't take it

nevermind

that sucks. they will send me a box for an power mac g4 quicksilver but i can't go to apple.com recycling for a 3g or 3gs



as far as i know you don't need itunes to erase an iPhone 3g. you just plug it in and click erase and wait 2 hours. but i could be wrong about the tunes part.
but it does need 2 hours to erase

its just like ANDROID!!!!! make sure you write junk files on it a couple times
and erase it each time

 

[MasterRyu2011]

can you not take the battery out and beat the crap out of it to a pulp and then environmentally dispose of it?

 

[rigormortis]

apple/power on says that http://oem.srsapp.com/ApplePoweredBysims/default.aspx will take back anything and will recycle it and won't charge you for shipping.

and they won't even bother to ask you what model it is, unlike apple

 

[lrsone]

I was cleaning out my closet last night when I discovered my old iPhone 3G. I don't want it anymore, but at the same time I'm mildly worried about someone recovering the data off of it.

IIRC old iPhones don't have full disk encryption, so how can I:

a) securely wipe the phone and
b) dispose of it in an environmentally sensible way?

You can just send it to me.

 

[lordofthereef]

Flash memory isn't like hard disk memory. There is no reason to overwrite the device multiple times (if any).

I'm not sure what possible data you are worried about. Unless you work for the cia (in betting they'd require you to turn such a phone in for their own disposal anyway) you likely have absolutely nothing to worry about.

 

[Paco II]

The erase all content and settings option will securely erase the phone. It just will take quite a while on iPhones that do not support hardware encryption.