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Usiwkap

Cancelled
Original poster
Aug 30, 2022
3
0
I was researching ways to restore an iphone but am having trouble understanding what is th3 best way to get a “clean reinstall” of iOS. There’s:

Erase and Reset all Content and Settings

Itunes restore either via recovery mode or by restoring through USB.

DFU restore

Which restore mode guarantees a clean installation?
 

BigBlur

macrumors 6502a
Jul 9, 2021
642
704
The previous replies about DFU restore aren't wrong, but it is intended more for phones that no longer boot properly. The end result of all three of these methods are exactly the same...a clean install of iOS. You wouldn't be able to tell which method was used.

If you're just trying to reset and remove all data as if it's a clean install, 'Erase and Reset all Content and Settings' is sufficient. It will leave absolutely no trace of your data behind. It'll also make sure you're signed out of iCloud/Find My, so that the phone doesn't remain activation locked.

iOS is installed much like macOS, in its own volume/partition that is signed, sealed, and marked read-only. Your data lives in a separate, encrypted volume/partition. When you erase all contents and settings, it wipes the data volume by removing the key that's used to decrypt it. There's really no need to re-install iOS since it is on a signed, sealed, & read-only volume...nothing should have changed it.

If you do a iTunes restore or DFU restore, then make sure you are signed out of iCloud/Find My first, especially if you are planning to resell the phone...otherwise they won't be able to activate it.
 
Last edited:

iStorm

macrumors 68000
Sep 18, 2012
1,811
2,224
They're all basically the same. The different methods exist for different situations.
  • Reselling the phone, or just want to start over from scratch?
    -->Do the Erase and Reset all Contents and Settings method.
  • Phone no longer works, or forgot passcode to unlock phone?
    -->Restore through iTunes/Finder.
  • Restore through iTunes/Finder didn't work or failed?
    -->Restore using DFU mode.
Since you said iTunes, maybe you're coming from a Windows world and used to how clean installs work there. Clean installs are very different between Windows and macOS/iOS. With Windows...yes, you do need to nuke the entire hard drive and reinstall the OS from scratch. With macOS/iOS, you only need to nuke the data volume since the OS is on its own volume that cannot be touched by users or applications.

Anything likely to go wrong during a DFU restore? Kinda worried about such
There's always a chance something could go wrong with any of these methods, but it's pretty much impossible to brick a phone. That's what DFU mode is for. If you can't restore using iTunes/Finder, you can always boot to DFU mode to do the restore.
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,894
27,031
iOS is installed much like macOS, in its own volume/partition that is signed, sealed, and marked read-only.
If that's the current state of MacOS then I have yet another reason to be sticking to my 2009 MacPro on Mojave.
 
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