Performing a factory reset on an iPhone is the same, no matter how old your iPhone is. No need to worry if it’s a different process for how to reset an iPhone 11, 12, or whatever model you have.

First things first, you’ll probably want to back up and save your information. You can do this by turning on iCloud backup, which will automatically back up the important data like accounts, documents, stored health information, home configuration, settings, and parental controls.

1. Open settings
2. Open the iCloud sub-folder
3. Tap on the “Backup” option
4. Turn backup on.

Once you’ve confirmed that your important information is saved, you can go ahead and hard reset your iPhone. Remember, this will completely wipe your iPhone, so if there’s anything you want to save, make sure it’s backed up.

1. Open settings
2. Open the General sub-folder
3. Open the Reset sub-folder
4. Tap on “Erase all content and settings”
5. At this point, you’ll be prompted to update your iCloud backup if iCloud is enabled.
6. Enter your Apple ID and password to confirm the hard reset.
7. Now your iPhone will completely wipe itself and return to the initial setup screen that appeared when the phone was first used.

Doing a hard reset on an iPhone is easy when you know the password for the account linked to the device, but sometimes you need to factory reset an iPhone with a password. Fortunately, it’s possible to reset your iPhone, you just need iTunes.

1. Download iTunes to your desktop computer
2. Connect your iPhone to your computer with a lightning cable
3. Let iTunes and your iPhone sync details. You can manually start this by clicking on “sync” in the Summary menu
4. Under the General settings menu for your iPhone, click on the “Restore iPhone” button

Android phones run on a different operating system to iPhones, so how to factory reset an Android phone is a little different. However, some steps are the same…

Yep, Android users will need to back up their data if they want to access it later. When wondering how to reset a phone, you always need to consider how to back up your data first. Often, your phone manufacturer will have a cloud backup option. For example, when looking at how to hard reset a Samsung phone, you can use the Samsung Cloud.

The steps to factory reset an Android device are simple and similar to how to reset an iPhone.

1. Open Settings
2. Open the System Settings or the General Management settings
3. You may need to expand the settings by tapping on “Advanced”
4. Tap on “Reset” or “Reset Options”
5. Tap on “Erase all Data” or “Factory Reset” or “Factory Data Reset”
6. At this point your phone will remind you all the data that will be erased and prompt you to confirm the reset. You may need to input your login details for your account or device to finalise the reset.

Like iPhones, Android devices will still let you perform a hard factory reset, even if you don’t have the necessary log in information. This entering Android Recovery mode and forcing the device to wipe all data.

The exact process will vary between manufacturers, but in all cases, you will need to first turn the phone off.

1. Hold the power button and the volume up button
2. When the phone vibrates, release the power button but continue to hold the volume up button
3. When a menu appears on the screen, release the volume button
4. Use the volume buttons to highlight “Delete all user data” and the power button to select and confirm.

1. Hold the power button and the volume down button
2. When the Download Mode is displayed, release the buttons
3. Use the volume buttons to highlight “Recovery mode” and the power button to select and confirm.

1. Hold down the power/lock button and the volume down button
2. When the System Recover Screen is displayed, release both buttons
3. Use the volume buttons to select “Factory data reset” and the power/lock button to confirm

1. Hold the power button and the volume up button
2. When the Startup Screen appears, release the power button.
3. Three seconds later, release the volume up button to enter Recovery Mode
4. Use the volume buttons or the touch screen to select the “Wipe data” option
5. Confirm when prompted using the same method

1. Hold down the power button and the volume down button
2. When the Options menu appears, release the buttons
3. Use the volume buttons to highlight “Recovery mode” and the power button to select—hold down the power button
4. When the phone displays an android with a red exclamation mark, press the volume up button, then release the buttons
5. Use the volume buttons to highlight the “Wipe data” option and the power button to select it
6. Use the volume and power buttons to confirm and wipe the phone