Ensuring iCloud data safety during iPhone factory reset

I got the new iPhone and am getting ready to factory reset my current phone to send it back. It’s giving me anxiety thinking about taking everything off this phone and I just want to be sure everything I can see in my iCloud will stay safe there once I reset my current phone.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: New phone


Posted on Oct 25, 2025 8:16 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 25, 2025 10:57 AM

That’s a very valid concern, as with iCloud, an inadvertent “deletion anywhere” can — in a flash — become a “deletion EVERYWHERE.”


Follow along the applicable parts of these instructions:


What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support


Note that the owner “signs out” of the phone (@ Step 4) BEFORE any erasure takes place (@ Step 7).


Once any device is signed-out, no actions subsequently performed on that device can affect the Apple Account.




2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 25, 2025 10:57 AM in response to halen19

That’s a very valid concern, as with iCloud, an inadvertent “deletion anywhere” can — in a flash — become a “deletion EVERYWHERE.”


Follow along the applicable parts of these instructions:


What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support


Note that the owner “signs out” of the phone (@ Step 4) BEFORE any erasure takes place (@ Step 7).


Once any device is signed-out, no actions subsequently performed on that device can affect the Apple Account.




Oct 25, 2025 10:37 AM in response to halen19

I have changed iPhones quite a few times over the years, and I have yet to experience that my data in iCloud is not synced correctly. I don't think you have anything to fear. However, it is a good idea to be connected to WiFi, then you are sure that everything is uploaded almost immediately.


You can always check under Settings > Apple Account (Your name) > iCloud. There you can review the things that are already synced with iCloud.


You can also visit https://www.icloud.com/ - preferably from a PC/Mac or iPad, there you can see your photos, contacts, calendar, notes, reminders, files, documents in pages, numbers etc. If you can see - for example all your photos there, then they ARE uploaded to iCloud, and they will be synced down to your new iPhone.

Ensuring iCloud data safety during iPhone factory reset

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