In general, iPhones are trustworthy electronic gadgets. If you take good care of it, you should get many years of use out of it, and each new generation brings exciting new features that push the limits of what’s possible. They are, however, still electronic gadgets, and as such, they may experience hardware or software issues.
The hard reset is one method you can use to try to resolve software problems on your own. This article will explain when a hard reset is necessary, how to perform one, and how it differs from other forms of device reset.
Procedures for Resetting an iPhone
iPhones may be reset in four different ways. The phone can be put into DFU mode and restored from there, or it can be soft reset, hard reset, or factory reset, all of which return the device to its original state.
A Soft Reset Is an Option on The iPhone
Simply turning the iPhone off and back on again constitutes a soft reset. It’s most analogous to restarting a desktop or laptop computer. It’s one of the first things you can attempt if you’re having issues that appear to be caused by software. There is no need to back up your phone before performing a soft reset because it will not harm any of your data.
Hard Reset on an iPhone
When you perform a hard reset, the phone reboots, and the app memory is wiped clean. When the gadget is frozen is a good time to do it. It is safe to perform without first backing up the phone, much like a soft reset (if you are selling your iPhone, you will need to clear the data). Hard resetting is viewed as more robust than soft resetting.
Apple’s iPhone Factory Reset
Then there’s a factory reset, which is the same thing as a complete device reset. This is where you’ll go to reset the gadget to its original settings, as they were when you first purchased it.
Due to the comprehensive nature of this change, it is essential that you have a recent backup of your phone’s data and settings. After you’ve finished erasing all of the data on your phone, you can restore it from an iTunes or iCloud backup. Only if there is a major software issue on your iPhone should you consider doing this.
Put Your iPhone into DFU Mode
Resetting through DFU restore is the last resort. Disk firmware update is abbreviated as “DFU.” If you, or someone you trust, intends to make significant changes to the phone’s core software—a process known as “jailbreaking”—you should follow these steps. We caution against this, nevertheless.
It makes the gadget more vulnerable to hackers and nullifies any warranty you might have had on it. This could also be done if you want to roll back to an earlier version of iOS.
Now, in case you ever find yourself in a position where one of these resets might be useful, we’ll walk you through the steps for performing it.
iPhone Soft Reset Guide
Since performing a soft reset is simple and should not cause too much damage to your device, we’ll go ahead and do that first. You’ll need to press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and either the Volume Up or Volume Down buttons on an iPhone 8 or later. If pressing Volume Up results in a screenshot, pressing Volume Down may be preferable.
As soon as the screen displays a Slide to Power Off slider, you can stop pressing the buttons. Slide the switch to the right to power down the phone. Then, restart the phone by holding down the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
The Sleep/Wake button must be pressed and held if your iPhone is an older model than the 7. Depending on the model you have, it will be on the top or side of the device. When a “Slide to Power Off” slider appears, it should be moved to the right to turn off the device.
Wait a few seconds after the phone turns off, then click the Sleep/Wake button again to turn it back on. Once the restart is complete, the Apple logo should appear on the screen.