Learn how to reset location, privacy, handwriting, Home Screen layout, eSIM cellular plan, keyboard, network, or all iOS settings on your iPhone and iPad to troubleshoot various issues or to start fresh with the default configuration.
There are eight reset options on iPhone and iPad, including Erase All Content and Settings. None of these reset options is meant for everyday use.
You must go through with them only when something isn’t going right, and other fixes, such as force-quitting apps, restarting your device, force restarting, setting the correct date & time, and updating software, have failed to solve the problem on your iPhone or iPad.
After resetting a particular setting, your iPhone loses the respective customizations and returns to its default settings.
Note:
- Except for Erase All Content and Settings, no other reset option deletes your music, photos, videos, apps, app data, files, documents, and other such personal stuff.
- Still, you must back up your iPhone or iPad. This will ensure that, in the rare event that your device doesn’t restart or bricks after the reset, you have a backup to restore to and recover all your data. Even if you don’t have sufficient iCloud space, you can make a full, temporary backup.
- Make sure you know the device passcode and Apple Account password. Depending on which reset you choose, you’ll have to enter these if asked.
Reset your iPhone and iPad settings
- Open the iOS Settings app and tap General.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- You have two options: Reset and Erase All Content and Settings. We already have a detailed guide that shows you how to erase everything on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. So, in this post, let’s focus only on the former.
- Start by tapping Reset, which has seven reset options (explained below).
- Tap one of the reset options, enter the iPhone passcode, read the message you see in the slide-up menu, and confirm that you want to proceed.
As mentioned, we’ve explained the reset options in more detail below. You should review it before clicking the confirm button.
Reset Location & Privacy
This resets the location and privacy settings to their default values. After proceeding with this option, go to the Settings app > Privacy & Security and make the desired changes. One of the most important is Location Services. If you don’t enable it, you may not be able to use apps like Uber, food delivery, maps, weather, and more.
Also, after resetting location and privacy settings, when you open apps, they may show pop-ups to access your location and other personal items. Allow them as required.
Reset Home Screen Layout
Not everyone is an expert in organizing their iPhone Home Screen. As a result, at times, you cannot find apps and think they are hidden.
One of the solutions to fix this annoyance is to reset your Home Screen app layout, which will reorganize how apps and widgets are placed on your iPhone Home Screen.
After this, the apps on your first iPhone Home Screen page and the Dock will go back to their original layout. In other words, they will look like the day you bought your new iPhone. The top portion of the second Home Screen page will have the remaining Apple apps and folders, followed by all your downloaded apps arranged alphabetically.
Reset Handwriting Style
If you’ve updated your iPhone or iPad to iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 and later, you’ll see the option to reset your Handwriting Style. Once you do that, your phone will forget the way you write with your finger and Apple Pencil in Notes and other apps.
Reset Keyboard Dictionary
Resetting the keyboard dictionary will erase all the custom words you have typed and added to the iPhone dictionary. Apple says, “You add words to the keyboard dictionary by rejecting words iPhone suggests as you type.”
Note: As mentioned, it only erases the custom words your keyboard has learned from your typing. It doesn’t change the keyboard settings or delete the Text Replacement phrases.
Delete All eSIMs
This option can be known by different names, such as Delete All eSIMs, Remove All Cellular Plans, and Subscriber Services.
If you use eSIM on your iPhone, you’ll get the option to Delete All eSIMs. If you don’t use eSIM, you may not see this option.
Tap Delete All eSIMs or Remove All Cellular Plans, and proceed with this option only when you want to erase your eSIM. Situations when you may like to erase your eSIM are:
- You want to stop using eSIM.
- You want to use an eSIM from a different carrier on your relatively older iPhone.
- Or, you’re selling or giving away your iPhone to someone.
Note:
- Erasing eSIM from your iPhone doesn’t stop/disconnect your cellular plan. For this, you must contact your carrier.
- If you want to transfer an eSIM from your current iPhone to another, follow your carrier’s instructions to set up eSIM on the new iPhone. Once it’s activated on the new iPhone, the plan on your old iPhone will automatically deactivate.
- Even when you erase everything on your iPhone, you’re offered the option to keep or delete your cellular plans.
Reset Network Settings
This affects iPhone network settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, VPN, and such. However, as mentioned, it won’t delete personal data. It also:
- Disconnects you from the Wi-Fi network.
- Resets the device name to “iPhone” or “iPad.”
- Manually trusted certificates, like those for websites, are changed to untrusted.
- Cellular data roaming may be turned off in iPhone mobile data settings.
Resetting network settings will help when updates fail, cellular data and Wi-Fi don’t work, devices can’t connect to the iPhone’s Bluetooth, or you face similar problems while accessing the web. This is one of my most frequently used reset options for resolving issues.
After the iOS network reset is complete, open the iPhone Settings app to join a Wi-Fi network and pair your Bluetooth devices.
Reset All Settings
Finally, this is the mother of all resets we talked about above. Once you reset all settings, every setting on your iPhone that you have changed or added will default to the factory settings.
It would be best if you do this only in rare cases. After resetting all settings, you’ll have to open each app manually, and then they’ll show you the pop-up to send notifications, access contacts, camera, microphone, photos, and more. So, if you have some essential apps, make sure to open them after resetting all settings and attend to the pop-up alerts they show; otherwise, you might miss notifications and other crucial features of the app.
Check out next: