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Jessay

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 29, 2011
97
0
I'm planning on selling my iPhone 4 the day my 4S comes in the mail. I'm planning on selling my phone unlocked. Should I restore it before I sell it to the buyer?
 
I'm planning on selling my iPhone 4 the day my 4S comes in the mail. I'm planning on selling my phone unlocked. Should I restore it before I sell it to the buyer?

YES YES YES!!! You better, or else they will have access to all your data! Make sure you backup your phone first so that you can easily sync with your 4S. Also, get rid of your SIM card on your 4 too.
 
I'm planning on selling my iPhone 4 the day my 4S comes in the mail. I'm planning on selling my phone unlocked. Should I restore it before I sell it to the buyer?

Of course you should. You can erase everything straight on the phone. Just go into settings>reset>erase all content and settings
 
I had so much private information on mine that I took the super paranoid route:

full restore/erase then fill completely with music

repeat at least twice

I hope that put me in the clear.
 
I had so much private information on mine that I took the super paranoid route:

full restore/erase then fill completely with music

repeat at least twice

I hope that put me in the clear.

Can I ask why fill with music? Tbh you shouldn't have that much info on a phone which could be lost easily.
 
I had so much private information on mine that I took the super paranoid route:

full restore/erase then fill completely with music

repeat at least twice

I hope that put me in the clear.

I know what you mean, I always erase/restore on handset > activate on iTunes (without sync) to double check > erase/restore again :D
 
Which is better restore or erase? Mines Jailbroken and I want to keep it that way when I sell it.
 
Can I ask why fill with music? Tbh you shouldn't have that much info on a phone which could be lost easily.

He wanted to overwrite the flash memory so no data was recoverable by a future owner.

I'm not entirely sure of the point of overwriting flash multiple times though. The point of that practice on magnetic media is to obliterate any residual magnetic fields that could theoretically allow reading overwritten data with something like a magnetic force microscope. All you end up doing with flash memory is wasting some time and a couple of the limited write cycles. Doesn't really hurt anything I guess, so if it gives peace of mind go for it.
 
Which is better restore or erase? Mines Jailbroken and I want to keep it that way when I sell it.

Anyone know the answer to this question??? I sold my phone but want my private data off the phone while leaving the jailbreak and firmware the same....
 
I had so much private information on mine that I took the super paranoid route:

full restore/erase then fill completely with music

repeat at least twice

I hope that put me in the clear.

Other than violating several Music copyright laws.. You're in the clear! :D

"Mom, this guy sent me an iPhone loaded up with all kinds of country music on it!"
 
Anyone know the answer to this question??? I sold my phone but want my private data off the phone while leaving the jailbreak and firmware the same....

I would restore the phone and set it up as new. Then do the jailbreak. Be sure you do the restore from a different computer or it will delete your backup when it is done.
 
Of course you should. You can erase everything straight on the phone. Just go into settings>reset>erase all content and settings

I did this ^^^ before selling my jailbroken iP4. Reason I didn't restore is because I wanted to maintain the JB. Should that be enough to fully wipe my data???
 
Of course you should. You can erase everything straight on the phone. Just go into settings>reset>erase all content and settings

Not good enough. If you do it that way, you can still follow it because it is still tied to you. Just restore. Much better for everyone but i realize some are too lazy to do it the right way. But it is better for the person selling it.
 
Not good enough. If you do it that way, you can still follow it because it is still tied to you. Just restore. Much better for everyone but i realize some are too lazy to do it the right way. But it is better for the person selling it.

Could you please explain how it would be still "tied to you" even after the "erase data & settings"? TIA
 
Other than violating several Music copyright laws.. You're in the clear! :D

"Mom, this guy sent me an iPhone loaded up with all kinds of country music on it!"

The point isn't to fill it with free music for the buyer, it's to write over the storage device multiple times so that data can't be recovered.

When you format your Mac, the most secure reformat options write and delete multiple times.
 
Not good enough. If you do it that way, you can still follow it because it is still tied to you. Just restore. Much better for everyone but i realize some are too lazy to do it the right way. But it is better for the person selling it.

iOS: Understanding 'Erase All Content and Settings'

You can remove all settings and information from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using "Erase All Content and Settings" in Settings > General > Reset.

If possible, your device should have a full charge before beginning this process. If it doesn't have a full charge, connect the device to power and leave it connected until the process is complete.

When I did this, there was nothing left on the phone. When you bring your iPhone to the Apple Store, Apple will tell you to do this if they giving you a replacement phone.
 
Thanks guys! I will restore. I might also put all the music back on so I can sell the iPhone for more...
 
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