How to Factory Reset iPhone SE (2022) and iPad Without Apple ID

How to Factory Reset iPhone and iPad Without Apple ID

Summary: This post guides you to the best methods to factory reset the iPhone without the Apple ID and password. It also shares a professional tool — Stellar iPhone Eraser that can help wipe iPhone without using Apple ID.

iPhone factory reset is essential when you want to sell off your old iPhone or troubleshoot the iOS device issues, such as iPhone freeze , iPhone stuck at booting loop, stuck at Apple logo , etc. But what if you have forgotten your Apple ID?

Apple ID is not just required to sign in to iCloud account, App store, etc., but also needed to factory reset iPhone and iPad.

So how to reset iPhone without Apple ID?

Lets’ explore the methods to reset iPhone without Apple ID and password. Also, levarn how you can recover your Apple ID password and then attempt a factory reset on your iPhone or iPad.

Methods to Reset iPhone Without Apple ID Password

You can utilize iPhone Recovery Mode and iTunes on your computer to reset the iOS device without Apple ID. Another easier method to permanently delete everything on iPhone that doesn’t require your Apple ID is by using Stellar iPhone Eraser software.

While you can also choose to reset the forgotten Apple ID and password and then later factory reset the iOS device with the new Apple ID.

Use Recovery Mode to reset iPhone without Apple ID
Reset iPhone without Apple ID via Stellar iPhone Eraser
Recover Apple ID and Password to reset iPhone

Important: As Factory Reset deletes everything on iPhone, always backup your data before reset. If you haven’t and already reset your iOS device, you can download Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone on your computer to restore the lost data due to factory reset.

Method 1: Use Recovery Mode to reset iPhone without Apple ID

You can factory reset iPhone without Apple ID or password by using Recovery Mode. Make sure to have the latest iTunes installed on your already trusted computer.

Steps to reset iPhone without Apple ID using Recovery Mode

Step 1: Update iTunes on your PC/Mac to the latest version.

Step 2: Connect your iPhone/ iPad to the computer via USB cable.

Step 3: Put your iPhone/ iPad to Recovery Mode. Note: The steps will vary with your iPhone/ iPad model.

How to put your iPhone to Recovery Mode

iPhone 8, iPhone X, or later: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then, press and hold the Side button until you see the recovery mode screen.

iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPod touch: Press and hold the Top (or Side) and Volume Down buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until you see the Recovery Mode screen.

iPhone 6s or earlier, iPad with Home button, and iPod touch: Press and hold both the Home and the Top (or Side) buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until you see the recovery mode screen.

iPad models that don’t have a Home button: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Press and hold the Top button until your device begins to restart. Continue holding the Top button until your device goes into Recovery Mode.
Source: Apple support

Step 4: iTunes detects the DFU mode and alerts you. Click OK in the message box.

Step 5: In iTunes, click Summary.

Step 6: Select Restore iPhone on the right pane.

Figure: Restore iPhone option iTunes

Step 7: Click Restore to confirm.

iTunes factory resets your iPhone without Apple ID. This will delete all your photos, videos, contacts, messages, chats and other data, same as in normal factory reset process using iPhone settings, which requires Apple ID.

Method 2: Reset iPhone without Apple ID via Stellar iPhone Eraser

Stellar iPhone Eraser software is another secure way to permanently erase complete iPhone data when you have forgotten Apple ID and password. The software wipes iPhone as new without using the Apple ID.

Stellar iPhone Eraser is popularly used to reset iPhone before selling, donating, or exchanging so that no one can gain access to your personal data.

You can permanently delete photos, videos, audio, contacts, messages, passcodes, documents, third-party apps and other data from iPhone.

It sets the iOS device to the original factory settings. The software works with all iPhone variants including series of iPhone 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, XS MAX, XS, XR, X, 8, and below. It supports latest iOS 16 and below versions.

Steps to reset iPhone without Apple ID using software:

Step 1: Download and run Stellar Toolkit for iPhone on PC/Mac.

Step 2: Select Erase Data.

Step 3: On Erase iPhone Data screen, click Next.

Figure: Erase iPhone Data screen

Step 4: Connect your iPhone to the computer when prompted.

Figure: Erase button in software

Step 5: Click Erase.

Step 6: In the Erase Process dialog box, select Yes.

Step 7: In Data Erase Completes dialog box, click OK.

All the data gets erased permanently beyond recovery from your iPhone or iPad.

Method 3: Recover forgotten Apple ID and Password to reset iPhone

Apple ID password is necessary to use iPhone applications and services. So if you are not planning to sell off your iPhone or iPad, it is best to first recover the forgotten Apple ID password and then reset your iOS device using the ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ option in the iPhone Settings.

You can use iPhone Settings, Apple Support app, Find My iPhone, or visit Apple account page to recover lost Apple ID password.

Click here to know in detail how to reset forgotten Apple ID and password.

Once you recover the Apple account password, follow the below steps to reset iPhone with the new Apple ID.

Reset iPhone with Apple ID password:

Go to Settings > General > Reset.
Click on Erase All Content and Settings.

Figure: Reset option in iPhone

3. Enter the new Apple password and click Erase iPhone.

Also read: Does factory reset deletes everything on iPhone?

Conclusion

Without the Apple ID and password, you cannot reset your iOS device through the traditional ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ method. Either you recover the forgotten Apple ID and password or use any of the two methods shared above to factory reset the iPhone without Apple ID.

You can put the iPhone to Recovery Mode and use iTunes on your computer to reset the iOS device without Apple ID. Other than this, a simpler way to permanently delete everything on your iPhone is by using Stellar iPhone Eraser software. The software doesn’t ask for Apple ID through the process. It quickly resets your iPhone or iPad and brings it to original settings by erasing complete data on it.

Can I recover my data if my iPhone screen turns black?

Yes, you can recover your iPhone data when its screen turns black and is not accessible.

However, the recovery option would depend, if your computer is trusted by the iPhone or not.

If the computer is not trusted, you can recover lost/deleted data from either the iTunes backup or iCloud backup.

Steps, when your computer is trusted by iPhone

•   Download and launch the trial* version of Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone on your PC or Mac
•   Connect your iPhone to the PC or Mac
•   Select Recover from iPhone or Recover from iTunes

• Follow the simple onscreen instructions

Steps, when your computer is NOT trusted by iPhone

• Download and launch the trial* version of Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone on your PC or Mac

Note: You don’t necessarily need to connect your iOS device for recovering deleted data. Connect it only when you want to save the recovered data in iPhone.

• Select Recover from iCloud

• Follow the simple onscreen instructions

*The trial software scans the media and shows preview of all the recoverable files. Once you are able to ascertain the effectiveness, you can save the recoverable files by activating the software.

Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone® Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone® is the best DIY software to recover missing or accidentally deleted Contacts, Messages, Calendar, Photos, Videos, Call History etc directly from iPhone or iPad.

How to recover deleted photos after deleting from ‘Recently Deleted’ on iPhone

The Recently Deleted folder in the Photos App on iPhone is there to recover accidentally deleted photos. However, even if your important photos are deleted from ‘Recently Deleted’ you are not yet out of luck. This post shares how to recover deleted photos after deleting them from ‘Recently Deleted’ on iPhone.

‘I deleted some important pictures on my iPhone and also deleted them from the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder. Is there any possible way to recover photos after permanently deleting them from the iPhone?’

When you delete photos from your iPhone, they first go to the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder of the Photos App. Here the photos remain for 30 days. Hence, any picture deleted 30 days ago automatically gets removed after this period, and this time permanently.

However, sometimes you may accidentally delete valuable pictures too. To make the situation worse, even remove image files from ‘Recently Deleted’ or realize the mistake 30 days after deleting!

In any case, can you get photos back after deleting from ‘Recently Deleted’ on your iPhone?

This post addresses the problem situation of permanently deleted photos from iPhones and finds the appropriate solution.

Let’s read on…

Understanding permanently deleted photo recovery from iPhone

You can recover deleted photos from your iPhone after deleting them from the Recently Deleted folder or 30 days of automatic deletion.

Of course, backups — iCloud and iTunes are the immediate go-through solution in such a case. However, Apple backups have their own disadvantage. Photo recovery with iCloud and iTunes results in the loss of your current data on your iPhone!

That’s the reason, iCloud and iTunes are frustrating when you want to get back only a few photos.

So, if you are using another backup service such as Google Drive or OneDrive for iPhone photo backup, they are more convenient.

In addition, apart from backup, iPhone recovery software is just the right solution. It works even when you don’t have a backup or don’t want to eliminate your existing data on your iPhone or iPad.

1. Recover ‘Recently Deleted’ photos from iCloud backup

Use an iCloud backup to recover deleted photos from your iPhone after 30 days of deleting them from the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder. iCloud backup is the best solution to retrieve permanently deleted photos from iPhone free.

Just get on to the below steps to recover deleted photos from iCloud:

On your iPhone, navigate to Settings > General > Reset> Erase all Contents and Settings.

Select Erase Now in the dialog box and follow the prompts until you reach the Apps & Data screen.
Click on Restore from iCloud Backup.

Sign in to your iCloud account.
Select the recent backup from the list that has the deleted pictures. Click Restore to get back the deleted photos on your iPhone.

2. Recover permanently deleted photos from iTunes

If you have an iTunes backup, look for the deleted photos after deleting from ‘Recently Deleted’ in your iTunes backup.

Below are the quick steps:

Connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac and launch iTunes.
Click on your iPhone under the device list and select the recent backup date that may contain the permanently deleted pictures.

Click Restore Backup.

That’s it. You get back the deleted photos on your iPhone. However, this will replace the current data on the iPhone with the old backup data.

3. Recover recently deleted photos from cloud storage

iPhone users, who don’t completely rely on iCloud and iTunes for backup, use third-party cloud backup solutions. If you are one of those, check your cloud storage for permanently deleted photos on your iPhone. Cloud backups such as Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc., are efficient ways to save and protect your photos on your iPhone from permanent loss. You can restore photos on a PC , Mac, or iPhone by using cloud storage.

4. Recover Recently Deleted Photos with iPhone recovery software [Recommended]

Some of you may not have photos backed up in iCloud or iTunes. It’s also possible you couldn’t find the desired picture in the backup. In any case, use the best iPhone recovery software to get pictures back after deleting from Recently Deleted on iPhone.

Try one of the popularly used Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone . It is compatible with not just old iPhones like iPhone 6, 7, 8, X, etc., but also the latest series of iPhone 15. You also get the latest iOS 17 support.

Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone can help to recover photos from the iPhone without backup. Additionally, you can retrieve lost or deleted contacts, messages, chat messages, Notes, Reminders, etc.

Besides, when you recover photos by using iTunes or iCloud, it gets back all data from the backup file whereas with the software you can select and recover only what you require. Unlike photo recovery from backup, the software doesn’t replace the existing data with old backup data on your iPhone.

Here are the steps to recover deleted photos after deleting them from the Recently Deleted folder on your iPhone:

Connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac computer.
Download and launch Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone on a computer.

On the first screen, select Recover from iPhone on the left pane. If required, you can choose the ‘Recover from iCloud’ or ‘Recover from iTunes’ option.

Check-in Camera Roll and Photo Stream and click Next.

The software scans and displays the recovered pictures. See preview, select, and save the desired photos.

Conclusion

An iPhone recovery software is the perfect approach to recover deleted photos from an iPhone after 30 days of deleting them from the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder. We recommend Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone. It is fast and can retrieve permanently deleted photos without affecting the current data of your iPhone. Unlike iCloud and iTunes backup, which annoyingly replace existing data with the old backup data, the software can restore only those photos, which you have deleted.

Take the free trial and ensure that Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone can retrieve permanently deleted photos from your iPhone.

How to fix error 1015 while restoring iPhone

Summary: Error 1015 appears during iPhone restore through iTunes. If you are getting this error, its probably due to attempts of jailbreak or iPhone downgrade. This post shares 7 ways to fix iPhone restore error 1015 on iPhone 7, 8, XS, XR, SE, 11, 12, and above models.

Are you receiving iPhone error 1015 during restore with iTunes as below?

Case 1: _I have an old iPhone 3G stuck in Recovery Mode. I am trying to restore it through iTunes. But at the end of the restore, I get unknown error 1015. How can I fix error 1015 on my own?
_

Case 2: I tried to restore my iPhone in iTunes. It won’t finish because of this error 1015 code. I have the latest software. I’ve restarted and updated my iPhone too. Still the same error message appears.

Have you used tools like TinyUmbrella to restore firmware that Apple no longer supports?

Did you try to jailbreak your iPhone by using applications like Redsn0w or Pwnage?

If yes, that’s the reason behind the problem. The error 1015 is typically caused by attempts of jailbreak or downgrade on the iOS device. Such activities are a violation of the iOS end-user software license agreement. They can make your iPhone vulnerable to malware and prone to errors like 1015.

Naturally, Apple wouldn’t encourage jailbreak or downgrading to an older iOS version. Thus, you are bound to face problems when trying the unauthorized iOS modifications on your iPhone or iPad.

Thus, the probable reasons for the iPhone restore error 1015 are:

Downgrade of iOS
Jailbreak
Outdated software
Third-party tools on your computer

This post shares all the possible solutions to fix iPhone restore error 1015.

You can apply these solutions on all iPhones including 3G, 4, 5, 6, 6s, 7, 8, X and above models using any iOS version.

1. Install the latest version of iTunes

Make sure your computer has the latest iTunes before restoring iPhone using iTunes.

On Windows PC, update iTunes by following Help > Check for Updates in the top menu bar of iTunes.

On Mac, go to App Store > Updates > click Install, if you see any iTunes updates.

2. Update iOS

iOS updates usually fix error 1015 which appears while restoring iPhone with iTunes.

On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update and tap Download and Install.

3. Update Windows or macOS

System update ensures smooth and error-free performance of your computer.

If you are using Windows PC, follow Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.

On Mac, click on Apple icon and select S****oftware Update and click on updates available.

4. Uninstall third-party software on PC/ Mac

Third-party software often create conflict among programs while performing iPhone restore or update with iTunes. You may not receive the error 1015, after uninstalling such programs.

On Windows computer go to Start > All apps. Find the third-party software and right-click on it. Choose Uninstall.

On Mac, in the Finder window, go to Applications. Find and select the third-party software. In the top menu bar, go to File and select Move to Trash. Next, click on Empty Trash.

5. Put your iPhone in Recovery Mode and restore

Before you put your iPhone on Recovery Mode, ensure you are using the latest version of iTunes. Next, follow the below steps to restore iPhone using the Recovery Mode.

Connect your iPhone to computer
Open iTunes
Force restart your iPhone while it is still connected to the computer, until you see the iTunes logo (To force restart use home and/or volume button depending on your iPhone version)

On your computer, you will receive a dialog box asking to either Update or Restore.

Click Update

After the Update process completes, you can restore your iPhone from iTunes or iCloud backup without facing the error 1015.

Note: If you are unable to enter Recovery Mode on your iPhone due to jailbreak, you may use programs like RecBoot, which are used to enter and exit the Recovery Mode on iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

6. Delete the IPSW file on your computer

Files with .ipsw extensions on your computer are backups and temporary files of your iOS updates. Many iPhone users who were receiving error 1015 while restoring iPhone were able to fix the problem by deleting these files on their PC or Mac.

Deleting these backup files doesn’t impact your iTunes or iPhone function.

Note: You can get rid of the old IPSW files and keep the most recent ones.

Location of .IPSW files on your computer:

On Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Update

On Windows Vista/7: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

On Mac OS X: ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates

7. Restore your iPhone into DFU Mode

When no other method is helpful, choose to put your iPhone in DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode. Whether you are receiving the iPhone error 1015 due to jailbreaking your iOS device or not, the DFU mode solution is your last resort to fix error 1015.

As in Recovery Mode, bringing your iOS device to DFU mode will lead to loss of iPhone data. Thus, before you attempt this, make sure you have iCloud or iTunes backup.

Steps to DFU mode for iPhone 7, 6s and below users:

Connect your iPhone to computer (even if your iPhone is off)
For 8 seconds, press and hold the Sleep button and Home button (iPhone 6s and below users) or the volume down button (iPhone 7). Next, release the Sleep button but continue to hold the Home button or the volume down button until iTunes shows message _‘iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode._’

Leave the Home button or volume down button. The iPhone screen turns black indicating the device has entered DFU mode
Next, you can restore your iPhone using iTunes

Steps to DFU mode for iPhone X, 8, or 8 Plus users

Connect your iPhone to computer (even if your iPhone is off)
Quickly press and release the volume up button, quickly press and release the volume down button, and press and hold the side button until your iPhone screen turns black
Press and hold the volume down button while continue holding the side button for 5 seconds
Release the side button and continue holding the volume down button until your iPhone shows up in iTunes.
Next, release the volume button. Your iPhone is in DFU mode

Now restore iPhone with iTunes. You can exit DFU Mode by force restarting your iPhone.

| Unable to restore iPhone from iTunes after Recovery Mode or DFU Mode?
If after putting your iOS device to Recovery or DFU mode you are unable to restore iPhone, download Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone The DIY software for Mac and PC can easily restore the data from iPhone, iCloud, and iTunes.

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To Sum Up

Naturally, the error code 1015 is annoying when you quickly want to restore your iPhone using iTunes.

The error usually appears when your software is not updated, you have attempted jailbreak or downgraded your iPhone’s iOS.

The post shares 7 different ways you can try to fix the problem. Begin with the simpler troubleshooting such as updating your iOS, Windows/ macOS and iTunes. Uninstalling third-party security software or deleting the IPSW files on your computer has also worked for many in resolving the error 1015.

In case these methods don’t work, then go for the tougher solutions like bringing iPhone to Recovery Mode or DFU Mode which lead to iPhone data loss. They are the harsher solutions to the problem, but assure you don’t receive error 1015 while restoring from iTunes. But make sure you have iCloud and iTunes backup before attempting these two methods. Else you would need an iPhone data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone to restore your lost iPhone data. The software is quick and efficient way to get back lost data in cases of jailbreak, downgrade of iOS and restore errors.