Erase the iPhone with Erase All Content and Settings after backing it up; this removes personal data and turns off Activation Lock.
A buyer should receive a phone that opens to Apple’s Hello screen, not one with your accounts or passcode still attached. The sequence below shows how to erase an iPhone before selling without deleting synced iCloud data by hand or leaving Activation Lock behind.
Do not start by deleting photos, contacts, calendars, or files one at a time. When those items are syncing through iCloud, manual deletion can remove them from iCloud and your other connected devices too.
What Should You Save Before You Erase It?
Your iPhone should have a fresh backup, and any replacement phone should be checked before you wipe the old one. Once the full erase finishes, data stored only on that iPhone is no longer available from the device.
For a manual iCloud backup, connect to Wi-Fi, then open Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and tap Back Up Now. Stay on Wi-Fi until it finishes; the date and time under Back Up Now show the latest completed backup.
- If you already moved to another iPhone, open the photos, messages, contacts, and apps you care about on the new phone before erasing the old one.
- If an Apple Watch is paired to the iPhone, unpair the watch from the Apple Watch app before wiping the phone. Unpairing the watch also removes its Activation Lock.
- Know your Apple Account password before starting. Find My can require it during the erase process.
Erasing An iPhone Before Selling: What To Do First
An iPhone sale has a few account and service details worth handling before the wipe. Most take less time than recovering access after the phone is already with someone else.
| Item To Handle | Action Before Erasing | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| iCloud backup | Run Back Up Now and confirm its latest time | Preserves a copy of device data for restoration |
| New iPhone transfer | Finish the transfer and verify important data | Prevents wiping the only copy you still need |
| Apple Watch | Unpair it from the old iPhone | Erases the watch and removes its Activation Lock |
| Apple Account password | Confirm you can sign in | Find My may ask for the password during removal |
| AppleCare plan | Cancel it or arrange a transfer if applicable | The plan is handled separately from the phone erase |
| Move to Android | Turn off iMessage and FaceTime | Keeps the old number from remaining tied to Apple messaging |
| eSIM | Plan to erase the eSIM profile when prompted | Prevents your cellular profile from staying on a sold phone |
Apple’s current pre-sale iPhone instructions also warn against manually deleting iCloud-synced content before the full erase. The same instructions say the erase turns off Find My and Activation Lock.
Sign Out, Then Erase All Content And Settings
The iPhone should be signed out of your Apple Account before the final wipe, then erased through the full-device erase command. Do not choose Reset All Settings; that resets settings but leaves personal data and media on the phone.
On iOS 26 or later, open Settings, tap [your name], scroll down, and tap Sign Out. Choose Sign Out But Don’t Erase if you want to complete the wipe from the main reset screen; if asked which account to sign out of, tap Sign out of iCloud and Store.
On iOS 18 or earlier, open Settings > [your name] > Sign Out, enter your Apple Account password, then tap Turn Off.
- Open Settings > General.
- Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
- Enter the device passcode or Restrictions passcode if requested.
- If Find My asks for your Apple Account credentials, enter them.
- If the iPhone uses eSIM and you are selling it, choose the option that erases the iPhone and the eSIM profile.
- Tap Erase iPhone to confirm.
The erase is finished when the iPhone restarts and shows the Hello screen. Stop there; setting the phone up again would attach new setup information before the buyer receives it.
eSIM, Apple Pay, Find My, And iCloud After The Wipe
A full iPhone erase removes personal content from the device and disables account-linked services on that phone. Data already stored in iCloud is not deleted just because the iPhone itself is erased.
| Data Or Service | What The Erase Does | Result Afterward |
|---|---|---|
| Photos, contacts, music, apps | Removes them from the iPhone | The buyer does not receive your local content |
| iCloud content | Leaves cloud-stored content in iCloud | Your synced copy remains available to your account |
| Apple Pay cards | Removes cards added to the erased iPhone | Payment cards are no longer available on that device |
| iMessage and FaceTime | Turns the services off on the erased iPhone | Your account is no longer active there |
| Find My | Turns Find My off during the erase | The sold iPhone is no longer protected by your Find My lock |
| Activation Lock | Turns Activation Lock off | A new owner can activate the iPhone |
| eSIM | Removes the profile only if you choose the erase-eSIM option | Your cellular profile does not stay on the phone |
How Do You Know The iPhone Is Ready For A Buyer?
The iPhone is ready for handoff when it sits at the Hello screen with your personal data gone and Activation Lock removed. A buyer who begins setup should not be asked for the previous owner’s Apple Account credentials.
Do not move past the Hello screen and walk through setup for the buyer under your own account. If the buyer later sees an “iPhone Locked to Owner” screen or a request for your Apple Account, the device is still linked and needs to be removed from your account.
Switching To Android Needs One Extra Step
An iPhone owner moving to Android should deregister iMessage before the old phone leaves their hands. Apple’s current menu path is Settings > Apps > Messages, then turn off iMessage.
Go back to Settings > Apps > FaceTime and turn off FaceTime too. If the iPhone is already gone, Apple also provides online iMessage deregistration for the phone number.
If The iPhone Is Already Gone
An iPhone that has already been sold or given away can still be erased remotely if it remains in Find My. Use another Apple device signed in to the same Apple Account, or open icloud.com/find in a browser.
- In Find My, open Devices and select the sold iPhone.
- Tap Erase This Device, then tap Continue.
- Because the iPhone was sold rather than lost, do not add a lost-device phone number or message. Continue to the erase confirmation.
- Tap Erase, enter your Apple Account password, then tap Erase again. If the iPhone is offline, the erase begins the next time it connects to Wi-Fi or cellular service.
- After the erase finishes, choose Remove This Device, then confirm Remove.
Once that removal finishes, Activation Lock is gone and the new owner can activate the iPhone with their own Apple Account.
Before You Hand Over The Phone
The iPhone should leave your hands only after the data copy, account changes, and full erase are complete. Use these seven moves as the final handoff sequence.
- Confirm a current backup exists.
- Verify the data on your replacement phone if you already transferred it.
- Unpair an Apple Watch and handle any AppleCare transfer or cancellation that applies.
- If you are moving to Android, turn off iMessage and FaceTime.
- Sign out of your Apple Account on the old iPhone.
- Run Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings, and erase the eSIM profile when selling an eSIM-equipped phone.
- Stop at the Hello screen. If the old iPhone still appears in your Apple Account device list, open Settings > [your name] on another signed-in iPhone or iPad, tap the old iPhone, then tap Remove from Account.
References & Sources
- Apple.“What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad.”Supports Apple’s current backup, sign-out, erase, eSIM, Find My, Activation Lock, and handoff instructions.