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iPhone 6(S)/Plus How To Zero Out My iPhone

E

EDLIU

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 20, 2015
238
8
My iPhone 6 Plus(iOS 12.4.2) has many software, hardware problems. The iOS crashes very often lately.

I'm thinking about restoring my iPhone again. And maybe a "Zero Out(Disk Utility)" of my iPhone before restoring.

How do I Zero Out my iPhone? What settings should I choose? Will I be able to restore my iPhone(upload iOS) after wiping out the Memory?

Any suggestion is appreciated.
 
My iPhone has many problems. That's why I'm thinking about wiping clean my iPhone completely.

I have restored my iPhone, and the problems were not fixed. The "Erase All Content And Settings" apparently didn't work.
 
It was my understanding that choosing “Erase all content & settings” destroys the encryption keys. This results in not being able to read anything on the phone - it can be accessed, but not read due to the encryption. Then, installing a new copy of iOS sets up a new partition table. This means that previous content will be overwritten with the new iOS.

If the problems stem from bugs in iOS 13.2, “zeroing out” the phone and installing a new copy of iOS 13.2 isn’t going to solve the problems.
 
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revmacian said:
It was my understanding that choosing “Erase all content & settings” destroys the encryption keys. This results in not being able to read anything on the phone - it can be accessed, but not read due to the encryption. Then, installing a new copy of iOS sets up a new partition table. This means that previous content will be overwritten with the new iOS.

If the problems stem from bugs in iOS 13.2, “zeroing out” the phone and installing a new copy of iOS 13.2 isn’t going to solve the problems.
Click to expand...

I connected my iPhone 6 Plus to my MacBook Pro, and I could see the iPhone in the Disk Utility. I just don't know how to Zero Out the iPhone, and whether I can restore my iPhone after wiping out the memory.
 
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EDLIU said:
I connected my iPhone 6 Plus to my MacBook Pro, and I could see the iPhone in the Disk Utility. I just don't know how to Zero Out the iPhone, and whether I can restore my iPhone after wiping out the memory.
Click to expand...
Can you post a screenshot of this? I have never encountered it with an iOS device.
 
EDLIU said:
I connected my iPhone 6 Plus to my MacBook Pro, and I could see the iPhone in the Disk Utility. I just don't know how to Zero Out the iPhone, and whether I can restore my iPhone after wiping out the memory.
Click to expand...
There is really no need to “zero out” an iPhone. Installing a new copy of iOS means that the new copy is going to operate with the software included in the new copy. It won’t use anything from the old content because that old content is: a) no longer accessible from the new copy of iOS (new partition table), and b) can’t be read anyway due to the encryption (the old keys were destroyed during erasure and new keys are always different from the old keys).

I still think the problems you’re experiencing are due to bugs in iOS 13.x, and there are many. Using a newer copy of iOS won’t remove bugs because the OS hasn’t yet been updated to remove the bugs.
 
revmacian said:
There is really no need to “zero out” an iPhone. Installing a new copy of iOS means that the new copy is going to operate with the software included in the new copy. It won’t use anything from the old content because that old content is: a) no longer accessible from the new copy of iOS (new partition table), and b) can’t be read anyway due to the encryption (the old keys were destroyed during erasure and new keys are always different from the old keys).

I still think the problems you’re experiencing are due to bugs in iOS 13.x, and there are many. Using a newer copy of iOS won’t remove bugs because the OS hasn’t yet been updated to remove the bugs.
Click to expand...
6+ doesn't support iOS 13.
 
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Mr_Brightside_@ said:
6+ doesn't support iOS 13.
Click to expand...
Right, but the way iOS is handled has been pretty much the same for a while. Installing a new copy of iOS destroys the old keys, so any old content on the old copy can’t be read anyway. And, installing a new copy of the operating system restructures the partition table so the old content isn’t seen by the new OS (this is standard behavior for *nix-based operating systems). I still feel that “zeroing out” the old copy of iOS before installing a new copy isn’t going to due any good. Perhaps the issues are a combination of bugs and user practices?
 
EDLIU said:
My iPhone 6 Plus(iOS 12.4.2) has many software, hardware problems. The iOS crashes very often lately.

I'm thinking about restoring my iPhone again. And maybe a "Zero Out(Disk Utility)" of my iPhone before restoring.

How do I Zero Out my iPhone? What settings should I choose? Will I be able to restore my iPhone(upload iOS) after wiping out the Memory?

Any suggestion is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Definitely restore with iTunes, maybe with DFU mode and by manually selecting the IPSW file (12.4.3). Use Google for instructions on how to do that. That way it completely wipes the flash memory and installs a fresh partition of iOS it seems.

I once restored my jailbroken iPhone 5 on iOS 10 using the Settings App, and after the restore a working Cydia was still there.
 
EDLIU said:
My iPhone has many problems. That's why I'm thinking about wiping clean my iPhone completely.

I have restored my iPhone, and the problems were not fixed. The "Erase All Content And Settings" apparently didn't work.
Click to expand...
Did you restore the phone as new without loading any backups or even getting iCloud data from an existing account?
 
Definitely waiting on 13.3 Sometime next month. My battery on standby time drops significantly on my 11PM. Before 13.2 my battery percentage wouldn’t move at all after 12 hours of no use. Now after 5 hours I’m getting a 10% drop
 
Sam in SoCal said:
Definitely waiting on 13.3 Sometime next month. My battery on standby time drops significantly on my 11PM. Before 13.2 my battery percentage wouldn’t move at all after 12 hours of no use. Now after 5 hours I’m getting a 10% drop
Click to expand...

I haven’t experienced that on 13.2, matter of fact my battery lasts at least two days if not 2 1/2
 
revmacian said:
How is that even possible?
Click to expand...

I don't know. I guess it can't completely wipe and re-install iOS from the ground on it's own, only with iTunes you can do that. To be fair i don't know anymore if Cydia was working after the restore or not, but the icon was still there, as long with the h3lix App that is required for the jailbreak. A Restore from Settings just deletes all User Data and resets System Settings it seems.
 
Elitegate said:
I don't know. I guess it can't completely wipe and re-install iOS from the ground on it's own, only with iTunes you can do that. To be fair i don't know anymore if Cydia was working after the restore or not, but the icon was still there, as long with the h3lix App that is required for the jailbreak. A Restore from Settings just deletes all User Data and resets System Settings it seems.
Click to expand...
Unless you're certain Cydia was working, this does happen with jailbroken devices if you don't remove the JB properly before erase all contents. Often there are leftover app icons if it wasn't removed.
 
Hardware. Memory and storage along with battery and how well it regulates each along with temperature. It's 5 years old. A newer refurbished model that can run iOS 13 is in your best interest.
 
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Elitegate said:
I don't know. I guess it can't completely wipe and re-install iOS from the ground on it's own, only with iTunes you can do that. To be fair i don't know anymore if Cydia was working after the restore or not, but the icon was still there, as long with the h3lix App that is required for the jailbreak. A Restore from Settings just deletes all User Data and resets System Settings it seems.
Click to expand...
Mr_Brightside_@ said:
Unless you're certain Cydia was working, this does happen with jailbroken devices if you don't remove the JB properly before erase all contents. Often there are leftover app icons if it wasn't removed.
Click to expand...
The semi-untethered jailbreaks (anything since iOS 9.2) write JB files and apps to the system partition when jailbreaking. When you do a restore from the Settings app (on the iPhone) you are simply restoring iOS files from the firmware to the system partition. That does not erase some of the JB files and apps that are now stored on the system partition. One of those is Cydia.

Before iOS 9.2 this would cause a boot loop. But post iOS 9.2 it causes certain things (like Cydia) to remain on the device with no way to remove them because you no longer have access to the system partition (where they are now stored). That means restoring as new is the only option.

That's why you had Cydia hanging around. There is a proper way to un-jailbreak and Erase All Contents and Settings is not it.
 
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eyoungren said:
The semi-untethered jailbreaks (anything since iOS 9.2) write JB files and apps to the system partition when jailbreaking. When you do a restore from the Settings app (on the iPhone) you are simply restoring iOS files from the firmware to the system partition. That does not erase some of the JB files and apps, one of which is Cydia.

Before iOS 9.2 this would cause a boot loop. But post iOS 9.2 it causes certain things (like Cydia) to remain on the device with no way to remove them - except to restore as new.

That's why you had Cydia hanging around. There is a proper way to un-jailbreak and Erase All Contents and Settings is not it.
Click to expand...

Interesting, thanks for explaining. I guess it's only a thing then when jailbroken, so OP doesn't need to worry. But still - i recommend the OP to restore with iTunes (DFU or Recovery Mode).
 
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Elitegate said:
Interesting, thanks for explaining. I guess it's only a thing then when jailbroken, so OP doesn't need to worry. But still - i recommend the OP to restore with iTunes (DFU or Recovery Mode).
Click to expand...
I would recommend that as well. DFU Mode restore and upgrade is what I use to restore from a jailbroken state to stock. I've done it so many times now though that I generally just use it when upgrading from stock iOS to stock iOS. Eliminates the middle ground.
 
You have a hardware problem.

Erasing your phone over and over again won't help.
 
Try Restoring via DFU mode, as has been suggested several times. It’s fixed some issues for me many times when I thought nothing else would work.
 
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