• How to erase all data from a tablet. How to completely clean an android device? Step-by-step instruction. Delete data from iOS

    You may think that when you do a factory reset (Hard Reset) and agree to wipe everything on your Android device, all your data will be destroyed forever. But you are wrong.

    As many researchers have discovered, data can be recovered with the right tools even after a factory reset has been performed. This is because when you delete something, the file itself is not actually overwritten - the system just throws away all the information from the file using the free space you have.

    The extracted data can be a real privacy issue if you ever plan to sell or lend your Android smartphone. There are, however, several ways to make sure your data is indeed permanently erased.

    Smartphone Data Encryption

    Encrypting your Android device data is the strongest way to prevent data from being recovered. By encrypting device data, you are essentially mixing up all the data and locking it with a special key. Encrypted data cannot be retrieved without entering an access code.

    Google requires most devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow (with the possible exception of some low-end devices) to have mandatory encryption for maximum security.

    If your device is running Android 5.0 Lollipop or lower (and supports encryption), it is strongly recommended that you enable encryption (Settings > Security > Encrypt device) to secure your data before doing a factory reset (The path to encryption settings may vary on different devices).

    By performing a reset, you will essentially erase the encrypted data, which is almost unrecoverable.


    Overwriting the smartphone memory with other data

    After you have encrypted the data on your smartphone, performed a factory reset and erased everything that was in the device’s memory, you can make sure that all the data is destroyed and definitely cannot be recovered. Overwriting memory with other useless data will help with this.

    To do this, go to the cleaned smartphone, but this time do not sign in to any Google accounts or anything like that. Once your device is up and running as new, go ahead and start recording video for as long as you can in the highest resolution. Repeat as many as you need to fill all the empty space.

    Then do another factory reset.

    Repetition

    If you're feeling a little paranoid about security, you can follow the tips above and do them a few times until you're sure the data is encrypted enough and overwritten with new data. At the same time, even if someone can recover the data, they will not get anything useful. But if you do not have state secrets, one cycle of the actions described above should be enough for you, after which you can safely transfer your smartphone to other people.

    All human life today can be traced in digital format on various devices and on the web. Unfortunately, any technology becomes obsolete, people tend to buy something new, more modern, forgetting about the personal information stored there when disposing of a smartphone or tablet.

    It seems that this is not a problem at all, but such carelessness can lead to the leakage into the wrong hands of not only photos, but also letters from email or browsing history in the browser.

    Usually, the user does not seek to delete information completely and irrevocably, but to transfer data to a new device. It's not as difficult as it might seem.

    Apple iPhone and iPad

    Apple devices have two options: saving data to the iCloud cloud or to physical external media. To back up your data, connect your device to your personal computer and download the iTunes app. Then click the small Device button in the top left corner of the screen and select the Back Up Now menu item under Manual Backup and Restore. The computer will automatically start saving files.

    To save data using the iCloud service, open the Settings app and enter your name in the line at the top of the screen. Here, select "iCloud", scroll down and find "iCloud Data Backup". Click "Backup Now" and your phone will start saving your data to the cloud.

    Deleting data

    After the information has been saved on another medium, the old device must be returned to its original state. To do this, go to "Settings" and select "General Settings". Scroll down the screen and tap "Reset", then "Erase content and settings". You will most likely be prompted for a password. After entering your password, select "Erase Device" at the bottom of the screen.

    Google Android

    This is the most common operating system at the moment, so the need to dispose of devices with Google Android arises often.

    Saving a backup

    To create a backup, open "Settings", then "Privacy and Security Settings". Here we select the item "Data backup". Before you start copying, make sure that the "save to Google Drive" option is activated.

    Deleting data

    When the backup is created, it's time to start erasing the information. To do this, open "Settings", "Privacy settings" again, at the bottom under "Personal data" select "Reset settings". Click "Reset settings" and after entering the password, all data will be erased.

    Microsoft Windows 10

    When you need to get rid of an old laptop or desktop PC, you have to think about what to do with the numerous photos and video files that have accumulated over a long time.

    Backup

    First you need to connect an external drive, where we will save all the data. Next, open the "Start" menu and click on the gear icon in the lower left corner of the screen, select "Recovery and Security". Click "Backup Service" and on the plus sign to select the disk where everything needs to be saved. Now click on “other options” and add the folders we need at the bottom. It remains to complete the copy using the "Archive data now" button.

    Deleting data

    Having a copy of the necessary files, you can start deleting the data. Compared to earlier versions, the erasing process is much simpler in this operating system.

    We return to the menu "Settings", "Update and Security". Scroll the screen to "Recovery" and click "start" under the line "Reset the computer to its original state." Click "Remove everything" (Remove everything), select the disks and then the item "Delete files and clean up disks." If the device is running on battery power, you will be prompted to connect the power adapter to the mains.

    A full wipe of an Android phone is rarely needed. Usually such a need arises before the sale of the device or in the event of some software failure, for example, after.

    A complete wipe of the phone is done using the built-in Android feature called "Reset". This feature is available in the Settings app, it deletes all user data from the phone's built-in memory, thus returning the device to the state in which it left the factory.

    In this article, we will demonstrate how to access the "Reset Settings" feature using several Android devices as an example. Also note that this procedure only deletes data from the built-in memory of the Android phone, while the memory card remains untouched, and if you want to clear it, you will need to do this separately using the "Format" function. The exception is encrypted memory cards, after resetting the device, their contents become inaccessible.

    Complete cleaning of the phone on the example of Android 5.1.1

    First, we will show you how to completely clean up a phone running the Android 5.1.1 operating system. To do this, open the "Settings" application, scroll down the list of settings and go to the "Backup and reset" section, which is located in the "Personal data" block.

    As a result, a screen will appear with information about what data will be deleted as a result of wiping the phone. If you agree to the deletion of this data, then click on the "Reset settings" button.

    After that, your phone will start the full memory cleaning process, which will take a few minutes. When completed, the phone will reboot and be completely clean, just like it was from the factory.

    Complete cleaning of the phone on the example of Android 8.1.0

    In Android 8.1.0, a full phone wipe is a little different. In this version, you need to go to the "Settings" application and go to the "System" section.

    And select the option "Delete all data (reset to factory settings)".

    After that, you need to confirm the action by clicking on the "Reset settings" button.

    As a result, Android will begin the process of completely clearing the phone's memory. When completed, the phone will reboot and become completely clean, just like it was from the factory.

    Full cleaning of the phone using the example of Samsung Galaxy S4 mini

    Many phone manufacturers use their own shell instead of the standard Android interface. For example, the Android phone Samsung Galaxy S4 mini uses an interface called TouchWiz. Here, in order to completely clean the phone, you need to open the "Accounts" tab and go to the "Backup and Reset" section.

    After that, you need to open the "Data reset" section and confirm the reset of the phone.

    As a result, a complete cleaning of the phone's memory will start. After completing this procedure, the phone will reboot and become completely clean, as it was from the factory.

    An average phone serves its owner for about 2-3 years, then it is usually transferred to relatives for use or put up for sale. And along with him, the secrets of the former owner also fall into the wrong hands.

    Do not want your personal photos, documents, contacts, letters, history of visiting sites, call log and SMS to be with strangers? Read how to completely clean your Android and iOS phone before selling.

    Delete data from Android

    Android-based smartphones store user information in three places: in their own memory, on removable media (SD cards and SIM cards), and in linked accounts. If the owner usually remembers about removable media, then the rest is very often left without due attention. Rollback to the factory settings, which is most often limited to before the sale, does not erase everything. It is worth digging deeper - and your confidential data is no longer yours.

    So, in order to properly prepare the phone for sale or transfer to a new user, do the following:

    1. Remove SIM and SD cards.
    2. Copy the desired information from the machine's memory to another media.
    3. Sign out of all apps and online services you've used on your device.
    4. Delete the remaining contacts, SMS, mail, web browser history.
    5. Delete all accounts associated with the phone, not just the main Google account.
    6. If root permissions are obtained, remove them.
    7. Clean up memory with total data destruction tools.
    8. Restore your device to factory settings.

    Signing out of accounts

    The first and second points, as a rule, do not cause any difficulties for anyone, so let's start immediately with the third and fourth.

    Do not be too lazy to launch every application and web resource on your phone where autologin (automatic login) is configured and press the logout button. Especially in applications that will remain on the device after a factory reset. Perhaps this measure will seem redundant to you, but it is better to spend 10 minutes than to hope for the decency of the new owner later.

    We clean contacts, SMS and browser history

    Run the application " Contacts”, check everything that is here (after removing the SIM cards, only what is stored on the phone will remain here) and tap the trash icon.

    Do the same with the saved SMS and browsing history in the browser, which will remain on the phone after recovery.


    Delete mail accounts and correspondence

    Run the application " Mailgmail", open the list of mailboxes registered in it and click " Account Management».

    Tap the line of the first account, go to the menu hidden behind the three dots, and select " Delete". Do the same with the rest of the accounts, leaving one linked to Google Play. You will need it to further clean your phone.


    Deleting accounts is convenient because it works on almost any Android smartphone, regardless of modification and firmware version.

    Removing Root rights

    To remove root rights (if they do not come from the factory, which is found on some strongly Chinese gadgets), they usually use the same application with which they were obtained.

    Removing root permissions in the Kingroot app.

    If you find it difficult to find the option " Unroot» in your application, use the instructions for it or the universal utility UniversalUnroot. The utility will help you check if the deletion was successful. Root Checker. But, unfortunately, the developers of both do not guarantee their successful operation on all devices.

    After removing root permissions, reboot your phone.

    Clear device memory

    Before the final step - restoring the phone to the factory state, it is very desirable to erase all personal data from the storage, so much so that it cannot be restored.

    Below is a partial list of free apps from the Google Play Store that do the job:

    Doing a factory reset

    Hooray, we're almost there! It remains to return the device to the state as after purchase. To do this, go to its settings and open the section " Recovery and reset". Touch " Reset».

    Once again, make sure that the page that opens next lists all your accounts left on the device. To complete the operation, click " Reset phone settings».

    If this reset method suddenly turns out to be unavailable, you can perform it from the Recovery menu. It is opened by pressing a combination of buttons, individual for each brand of devices, on the switched off phone (to clarify what exactly to press, it is best to look at the instructions for the device). The option is called wipe data/factory reset.

    After restoring the factory settings, the smartphone is ready for sale.

    Delete data from iOS

    Releasing iPhone and iPad user data is easier and faster. Of course, their owners also need to remember to remove the SIM card and copy valuable data from the device’s memory to the cloud or other media, but the rest is literally 3 touches of the screen.

    So, to reset an iPhone based on iOS 11-12 to the state as after purchase, do the following:

    • Open settings and go to " Main».
    • Touch " Reset» at the bottom of the screen. Enter your Apple ID password if prompted.


    • Select the option " Erase content and settings". Update your iCloud backup if necessary.


    • If you don't need a copy, just click " Erase” and wait for the operation to complete.

    That's all. Your iPhone is also ready to go into the hands of a new owner.

    All modern portable digital devices running Android are tied to personal mail or a profile on social networks. Therefore, if you decide to sell your beloved Android smartphone or tablet, but you don’t want personal data, photos or videos to become available to the buyer, then in such cases you need to quickly and easily clear it. It will also help if, after downloading a whole bunch of unknown applications, a virus was installed. This can be done in several ways, without resorting to the use of any programs:

    1. Return to factory settings
    2. Do a factory reset (hard reset)

    1. How to do a factory reset on android

    This method is quite simple and we recommend it for use. To do this, you need to enter the "settings" menu. Further, the choice depends on the version of android. For Android 4.x and above "Backup and Reset". For older Android 2.x - "Privacy". In the available menu, with one click, select "Reset settings".

    Reset example on version 5 android

    After that, the system will notify you again that all data, as well as linked profiles, will be deleted from the phone. You need to confirm the action by clicking "Reset phone". After rebooting the phone, Android will be completely clean. This is so simple and fast, unlike the following method.

    2. How to reset settings on android (hard reset)

    Attention, using this method may cause the failure of the Android system. Use only if the first one did not help.

    This android cleaning technique is really effective when, after installing the application, a message appears about the paid unlocking of the device or you forgot the pattern.

    First you need to fully charge, and then turn off the phone. Next, you need to enter the "Recovery" mode. It is necessary to hold down and hold a certain combination of keys. Each manufacturer has its own set of keys. We will give the most common options and consider the example of a Samsung Galaxy phone.

    • Volume key up (or down) + power key
    • Both volume keys (up + down) + power key
    • Volume up (or down) key + home key (home) + power key

    It is necessary to keep them pressed until a dark screen appears with text in the upper left. This is the "Recovery" menu. Moving on it is also carried out with the up and down keys, and the choice is the power button.

    We move down to the item "wipe data / factory reset" and confirm by pressing the power key. On the next screen, in the same way, confirm the choice "Yes - delete all user data". The procedure for cleaning the phone and returning to factory settings will start. You will return to the initial menu, where you will need to select the “Reboot system” item to reboot the phone.

    We hope that the material on the complete cleaning of android devices was useful to you. If you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments.

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