---
title: "How to Clear Your iPhone Before Selling It: Trade-In Checklist"
description: "Clear your iPhone before selling or trading it in: back up, sign out, turn off Find My, erase. Plus what a factory reset does to your photos and iCloud Photos."
url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/wipe-iphone-before-trade-in
lang: en
published: 2026-10-29
updated: 2026-10-29
author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team"
publisher: VaultForYou
---

# How to wipe your iPhone before selling or trading it in

> Erase All Content and Settings wipes the phone completely but leaves everything in iCloud untouched, so sign out first and never delete photos one by one.

Published 2026-10-29 - Updated 2026-10-29 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team

## Quick answer

Back up your iPhone, unpair your Apple Watch, then sign out of your Apple Account in Settings -> [your name] -> Sign Out, which turns off Find My and Activation Lock. Then go to Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Erase All Content and Settings. Erasing removes everything on the phone but deletes nothing from iCloud.

- **The erase:** Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Erase All Content and Settings.
- **Do this first:** Back up, unpair your Apple Watch, sign out of your Apple Account so Find My and Activation Lock turn off.
- **Your photos:** Erasing removes them from the phone. Photos in iCloud stay in iCloud.
- **Don't:** Don't delete photos by hand while signed in: with iCloud Photos on, that deletes them everywhere.

Go to **Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Erase All Content and Settings**, but only after you've backed up, unpaired your Apple Watch and signed out of your Apple Account. Signing out turns off Find My and Activation Lock, which every buyer and trade-in program needs. The erase removes everything on the phone: photos, messages, apps, Apple Pay cards and settings. It doesn't delete anything in iCloud, so your iCloud Photos library and backups are waiting for your next iPhone. The one mistake to avoid is deleting photos by hand first: with iCloud Photos on, that deletes them from iCloud and every device.

We checked these steps against Apple's iOS 27 documentation and T-Mobile's trade-in pages in October 2026.

## Does a factory reset delete photos?

Yes, from the iPhone itself. Apple says that when you tap Erase All Content and Settings, the device is completely erased, including photos, contacts, music, apps and any cards added to Apple Pay. iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime and Game Center also turn off.

It's also more thorough than dragging files to a trash can. Apple's platform security guide explains that the erase destroys the key protecting the file system, which renders all files cryptographically inaccessible. A new owner gets a phone at the Hello screen, not your deleted data.

What the reset doesn't touch is every copy stored somewhere else.

## Does a factory reset delete iCloud photos?

No. Apple states it directly: your content won't delete from iCloud when you erase your device. If you use iCloud Photos, your library stays in your Apple Account and reappears when you sign in on another iPhone, iPad or Mac.

That's good news if you're upgrading, and it's why **you should never "clean" the phone by deleting photos one at a time before selling it**. Apple warns that while you're signed in to iCloud, manually deleting items permanently removes them from iCloud and all your connected devices, after 30 days in Recently Deleted. Erasing the phone after signing out is the way to clear it without losing anything. More on keeping the two apart in [how to delete photos from iPhone but keep them in iCloud](/blog/delete-photos-iphone-keep-icloud).

## What erasing removes, and what stays

| Data | After Erase All Content and Settings |
|---|---|
| Photos, videos, messages, apps on the phone | **Removed** from the phone |
| Apple Pay cards on the phone | **Removed** |
| iCloud Photos library | **Stays in iCloud**, on iCloud.com and your other devices |
| iCloud Backup of this iPhone | **Stays in iCloud** until you delete it |
| Backups on your Mac or PC | **Stay on the computer** |
| Messages in iCloud | **Stay in iCloud** and on your other devices |
| Your eSIM | **Your choice** during the erase; choose to erase it when selling |
| Activation Lock | **Turns off**, as Find My does, when you erase the phone |
| Data you never backed up or synced | **Gone** for good |

## Step by step: wipe your iPhone before selling it

These steps follow Apple's own checklist for selling, giving away or trading in an iPhone.

1. **Back up and move your data** Back up with iCloud (Settings -> [your name] -> iCloud -> iCloud Backup -> Back Up Now) or to a computer. If you have your new iPhone, transfer with Quick Start.
2. **Unpair your Apple Watch and check repairs** If an Apple Watch is paired with this iPhone, unpair it. Check Parts and Service History: if a part shows Finish Repair, finish that repair first, or the iPhone can't be traded in.
3. **Turn off Stolen Device Protection at home** Go to Settings -> Face ID & Passcode -> Stolen Device Protection and turn it off while you're at home or work. Away from familiar places, it adds a security delay before you can sign out.
4. **Sign out of your Apple Account** Go to Settings -> [your name] -> Sign Out. Choose Erase this iPhone, not Sign Out But Don't Erase. On iOS 18 or earlier, enter your Apple Account password and tap Turn Off. This turns off Find My and Activation Lock.
5. **Erase All Content and Settings** Go to Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Erase All Content and Settings. Enter your passcode or Apple Account password if asked. When asked about your eSIM, choose to erase it if you're selling.
6. **Clean up your account** Remove the old iPhone from your Apple Account device list, deregister iMessage if you're moving to a non-Apple phone, and remove the physical SIM card if you aren't moving it to your new phone.

Before you erase, confirm the backup actually finished: under **Settings -> [your name] -> iCloud -> iCloud Backup**, the date and time of the last backup appears below **Back Up Now**. For what that backup does and doesn't hold, see [what's in an iPhone backup](/blog/what-is-in-an-iphone-backup).

## Signing out, Find My and Activation Lock

Activation Lock is part of Find My. Once it's on, Apple stores your Apple Account on its activation servers and requires your password before anyone can turn off Find My, erase the device, or reactivate and use it. That's great against thieves and useless to the next owner, so it has to be off.

Signing out takes care of it. On current iOS, **Settings -> [your name] -> Sign Out** asks you to choose:

- **Erase this iPhone**, the right choice for a sale or trade-in.
- **Sign Out But Don't Erase**, which Apple designed for keeping the phone yourself. Photos, passwords, Health data, notes, documents and apps stay on the device. Worse, if the next person signs in with their own account, the data left behind can merge into their iCloud.

If **Stolen Device Protection** is on and you're away from a familiar place like home or work, signing out of your Apple Account comes with a one-hour security delay, and erasing requires Face ID or Touch ID. Apple recommends turning Stolen Device Protection off before you sell or trade in your iPhone, and T-Mobile tells customers to turn off Find My at home.

## Your phone number, eSIM and iMessage

- **eSIM:** during the erase, you can erase your eSIM or keep it. Apple says to erase it when you sell. If you erase it, you'll need your carrier to reactivate your plan, so move your number to the new phone first.
- **Physical SIM:** take it out if you aren't moving it to your new iPhone.
- **Leaving iPhone?** Turn off iMessage and FaceTime in **Settings -> Apps -> Messages** and **-> FaceTime** before you erase, or texts from iPhone users may not reach your new phone.
- **Changing numbers?** Add your new number as a trusted phone number on your Apple Account so you don't lose access to two-factor codes.

## How to prepare an iPhone for trade-in with T-Mobile

Carriers add their own rules on top of Apple's steps. T-Mobile's support pages say:

- A trade-in **may not qualify if Find My iPhone is turned on**, or if the device is reported lost or stolen.
- The device **must be able to turn on** and stay on without a charger.
- Devices are **checked for screen and liquid damage**; damaged trade-ins can get a lower value.
- You have **30 days from when your new device shipped** to return the old one, or you lose the trade-in credit.

Apple Trade In and other carriers have their own conditions, so read your offer's terms. The wipe itself is the same everywhere.

## If you already handed the iPhone over

Ask the new owner to erase it with the steps above. If that isn't possible, sign in at icloud.com/find, select the phone, **erase** it without entering a phone number or message, then choose **Remove This Device**. Activation Lock is then removed and someone else can activate it.

Then remove the phone from your list of trusted devices and change your Apple Account password. Apple notes that changing the password doesn't remove data from the old phone, but it stops the new owner from deleting your information from iCloud. If you used Apple Pay on it, follow Apple's steps to remove the cards and passes from that device as well.

## Private photos and files you're keeping

Before you erase, make sure anything that lives only on this iPhone has a copy somewhere. That includes files in apps that don't sync to iCloud.

If you keep private photos or documents in VaultForYou, our iPhone vault app, check your backup setting first. With the optional encrypted iCloud backup (Premium) on, install the app on your new iPhone, sign in to iCloud and draw your pattern to restore your vaults; each file is encrypted before it goes to your iCloud. With backup off, files can't be restored once the old phone is erased, so export what you want to keep before you wipe it. Exporting your originals is always free.

> **Moving private photos to a new iPhone?.** Optional encrypted iCloud backup restores your vault with your pattern. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000)

## Frequently asked questions

### Does a factory reset delete photos?

Yes, from the iPhone. Erase All Content and Settings removes every photo, video, contact, app and card stored on the phone, and Apple's security guide says the erase makes all files cryptographically inaccessible. It doesn't touch photos stored anywhere else: iCloud Photos, iCloud backups, computer backups and your other devices keep their copies.

### Does a factory reset delete iCloud photos?

No. Apple says your content won't delete from iCloud when you erase your device. Your iCloud Photos library stays in your Apple Account and comes back when you sign in on another device. The risk runs the other way: deleting photos one by one on the iPhone while iCloud Photos is on deletes them from iCloud and every synced device.

### How to clear iPhone before trade in?

Back up, unpair any Apple Watch, check Parts and Service History for an unfinished repair, and turn off Stolen Device Protection at home. Then sign out in Settings -> [your name] -> Sign Out, choose Erase this iPhone, and finish with Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Erase All Content and Settings. Erase the eSIM too if you're selling.

### Do I have to turn off Find My before trading in my iPhone?

Yes. Find My includes Activation Lock, which stops anyone from activating the phone without your Apple Account password, so a buyer or trade-in program can't use it. Signing out of your Apple Account on the iPhone turns both off. If the phone is already gone, erase it and choose Remove This Device in Find Devices on iCloud.com.

### Can the new owner recover my photos after I erase my iPhone?

Apple's platform security guide says Erase All Content and Settings erases the key that protects the file system, which renders all files cryptographically inaccessible. So the data isn't simply marked as deleted. What the new owner could get is anything you leave signed in or linked: that's why you sign out first and remove the phone from your Apple Account.

### Does erasing my iPhone delete my iCloud backup?

No. iCloud backups are stored in iCloud, not on the phone, so you can restore the backup to your new iPhone after the erase. To remove it, go to Settings -> [your name] -> iCloud -> iCloud Backup, tap the device, and choose Turn Off and Delete from iCloud. If you only turn off iCloud Backup for a device, Apple keeps its backups for 180 days.

### How to prepare iPhone for trade in at T-Mobile?

Follow the same steps: back up, sign out of your Apple Account so Find My iPhone is off, then erase. T-Mobile says a trade-in may not qualify if Find My iPhone is on, the phone must be able to turn on, and it checks for screen and liquid damage. Return it within 30 days of your new device shipping.

## Bottom line

To clear your iPhone before selling it: back up, unpair your Apple Watch, turn off Stolen Device Protection at home, sign out and choose Erase this iPhone, then run **Erase All Content and Settings** and erase the eSIM. A factory reset deletes every photo on the phone but nothing in iCloud, which is why your library comes back on the new phone. Don't delete photos by hand first, and remove the old phone from your Apple Account afterward.

Keep reading:

- [Do hidden photos transfer to a new iPhone?](/blog/hidden-photos-new-iphone)
- [What's in an iPhone backup](/blog/what-is-in-an-iphone-backup)
- [Should you encrypt your iPhone backup?](/blog/iphone-backup-encryption)

## Sources

- [Apple Support: What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad](https://support.apple.com/en-us/109511)
- [Apple Support: Erase iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/erase-iphone-iph7a2a9399b/ios)
- [Apple Support: What happens after you choose Sign Out But Don't Erase](https://support.apple.com/en-us/122682)
- [Apple Platform Security: Data Protection in Apple devices](https://support.apple.com/guide/security/sece8608431d/web)
- [iCloud User Guide: Remove a device from Find Devices on iCloud.com](https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/mmfc0eeddd/icloud)
- [T-Mobile Support: Check the condition of a device](https://www.t-mobile.com/support/devices/device-troubleshooting/check-the-condition-of-a-device)

## Keep reading

- [Do Hidden Photos Transfer to a New iPhone? What Moves and How](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/hidden-photos-new-iphone): Yes. Hidden photos move to a new iPhone with your library via iCloud Photos, Quick Start or a backup. What to check after setup and what to do with the old phone.
- [Can I Delete Photos From iPhone and Keep Them on iCloud? (2026)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/delete-photos-iphone-keep-icloud): Can you delete photos from iPhone and keep them on iCloud? Not with iCloud Photos on. Here's how to free space safely, and how to delete photos off iCloud only.
- [What Is Backed Up on iPhone? What's In (and Out) of a Backup](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/what-is-in-an-iphone-backup): What is backed up on iPhone: iCloud Backup vs computer backup, whether photos and messages are included, where to find backups and what 'invisible backups' are.
- [Is Your iPhone Backup Encrypted? How to Check and Turn It On](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/iphone-backup-encryption): iCloud backups are always encrypted; iPhone backups on a Mac or PC aren't by default. How to check, encrypt your iPhone backup, and the password catch.

---

Our guides are written and fact-checked by the VaultForYou team against Apple's own documentation. We make VaultForYou, a private vault app for iPhone. Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000