Updated on 13 November 2026
Selling, trading in or giving away your iPhone? Then it must be completely empty and disconnected from your Apple Account. If you skip that, Activation Lock stays on and the new owner can't use the device. Six steps and you're done.
The short answer
- Make a backup.
- Unpair your Apple Watch and AirPods.
- Sign out of your Apple Account (this also turns off Find My iPhone).
- Choose Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.
- Remove your SIM card and delete or transfer your eSIM.
- Check at account.apple.com that the device is no longer listed.
Step by step
1. Make a backup
Via Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup, or with your Mac or PC. Got a new iPhone already? Transfer everything first: see Transfer to your new iPhone.
2. Unpair your Apple Watch
Open the Watch app on your iPhone, choose All Watches, tap the i next to your watch and choose Unpair Apple Watch. A backup of your watch is made automatically.
3. Sign out of your Apple Account
Go to Settings > [your name], scroll down and tap Sign Out. Enter your password. This turns off iCloud and Find My iPhone, which removes Activation Lock.
4. Erase all content and settings
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. Your iPhone is then like new and shows the Hello screen.
5. SIM and eSIM
Remove your physical SIM card. With an eSIM, your iPhone asks during erasing whether to keep or delete it. Moving your number to a new iPhone? Transfer the eSIM first; see eSIM and dual SIM on the iPhone.
6. Check your device list
Sign in at account.apple.com and check under Devices whether the iPhone is still listed. If so, remove it. Switching to Android? Also deregister your phone number from iMessage on Apple's website so your texts arrive properly.
iPhone already gone or broken?
You can erase it remotely via icloud.com/find or the Find My app on another Apple device. Choose the device, tap Erase This Device and then Remove from Account.
Frequently asked questions
What is Activation Lock?
A security feature that ties your iPhone to your Apple Account. While it's on, nobody else can activate the device, not even after erasing.
Is my data really gone after erasing?
Yes. Data on an iPhone is encrypted; erasing destroys the key, making the data unreadable.
Sign out first or erase first?
Sign out first. If you erase without signing out, your iPhone still asks for your Apple Account password to turn off Activation Lock.