Hey everyone! I've got an old iPhone 11 that hasn't been connected to Wi-Fi for about three years. It's still using my Apple ID, which I also have on my iPhone 14 Pro. I'm planning to connect it to Wi-Fi, erase all the data, and pass it on to a family member. I'm just wondering if there's any risk or issue I should expect by connecting it to Wi-Fi after such a long time. Thanks!
4 Answers
You can just restore the iPhone to factory settings using a PC or Mac. Once it’s erased, you can log out of iCloud, and let your family member set it up from scratch. Also, if you have the original receipt, give that to them too. If it gets activation locked, they'll need it to access the phone again.
Since your Apple ID is still linked, it might sync back to iCloud. This could mean deleting data from iCloud if you've done anything with the phone in the last few years. My advice? Use another device to remove the old iPhone from your Apple account via iCloud settings or the Find My app. That’ll let you reset it cleanly for your family member.
I mean, what could really go wrong? Just power it on and erase it. Seems straightforward to me!
There might be a chance it attempts to sync photos to iCloud if you had that set up before. But honestly, is it necessary to connect to Wi-Fi just to wipe it?
I actually don’t need Wi-Fi for that, but when I log out of iCloud, doesn’t it need an internet connection?