You can remotely erase iphone if you lost your iPhone and it falls into the wrong hands. Report a stolen iPhone immediately in order to increase its chance of returning, while iPhones have self-destruct functionality which enables them to delete sensitive data quickly and completely.
What to Know
- Enable Find My iPhone by entering Settings, your Apple ID, and toggling Find My > Find My iPhone to On position.
- Afterward, log into iCloud via a web browser; choose All Devices > Find iPhone (your device should appear there) > Erase iPhone;
- To erase iphone data after 10 consecutive failed passcode attempts, open Settings > Touch ID & Passcode, and activate Erase Data.
Wouldn’t it be great if your iPhone could self-destruct to prevent criminals from accessing all your data if someone were to steal it? While Apple does provide a way for remote erasure of iOS devices with any version of iOS. We will show you how.
How To Remotely Erase Lost iPhone or Stolen Iphone Data With Find My iPhone (Find My iPhone).
To make this possible, the initial setup must take place for remote iPhone data erase on your iphone.
- Tip: Back up your iPhone data Regularly to protect against data loss.
Enabling Find My iPhone on Your Device
For Find My iPhone to work effectively on your phone, the Find My iPhone feature needs an active iCloud account linked to it that is provided free by Apple.
Click on the Settings app,
- and select your Apple ID account (it should appear first in the list of available accounts).
- Select Find My. (For older versions of iOS, select iCloud).
- Switch the Find My iPhone mode On.
- NOTE: Follow these instructions to enable Find My iPhone if your firmware is pre-iOS 5.
Remote Erase Your Missing iPhone or Stolen Iphone
Once it becomes apparent that your lost phone will never come back home again, use its remote erase feature.
- CAUTION: Once your device has been remotely erased, Find My iPhone won’t be able to locate it anymore, and therefore the remote wipe should only be employed as a last resort.
- Access the Find iPhone app using another iOS device like an iPad or computer’s web browser and visit iCloud.com, signing into your iCloud account to identify all devices.
- Choose All Devices, then Select Your Target Device.
- Select Erase iPhone.
Self-Destruct After Too Many Failed Passcode Attempts
Your iPhone can be set to automatically erase its data if a wrong passcode attempt exceeds 10 by following these steps:
- Launch the Settings app 2. Create Automatic Erase Apple
- Select Touch ID or Face ID/Passcode on your iPhone using facial authentication; enter your passcode if prompted;
- If your passcode is disabled, enable it by selecting “Turn Passcode On.” Once done, set and confirm a passcode and verify its use.
- Tip: For added protection, create a strong passcode beyond the default four-digit passcode to increase security.
- Switch the Erase Data switch from Off/red to Green/On.
- Read through and accept the warning before tapping “Enable.”
- Your phone has now been configured to delete its data after 10 failed passcode entry attempts.