Part 1: Differences between Soft Reset/Hard Reset and Factory Reset
First off, let’s go ahead and see what are the different kinds of reset that you can perform on iPhone and what differentiates them: There are three ways to reset an iPhone, namely:
Hard Reset
Soft Reset
Factory Reset
These are applied in different scenarios and operations also vary. Here’s a clear comparison between all of these methods.
Soft Reset
Hard Reset
Factory Reset
What is it
A Soft reset is a simple restart of the device. It turns off all processes and restarts them again.
A hard reset is performed to set the phone to factory settings by wiping all data using the hardware keys.
A factory reset reverts the iPhone to its factory settings using the "Factory Reset" option in settings.
When to use it
iPhone performing slowly
iPhone overheating
and some other minor problems
iPhone not rebooting
iPhone frozen
Reboot loop
iPhone stuck
and other system
glitches
To remove unwanted applications
Before selling or giving away your iPhone
iPhone infected with malware/virus
Or some other serious problems
How to use it
By holding the Power button and turn off your device
By holding the Power button and Volume button together for 20 seconds until you see the Apple logo
By selecting the "erase" option in the iPhone settings or restoring iPhone
What will happen
Simply restart the iPhone. No data loss
It will abruptly reboot your iPhone. No data loss
Erase all data and settings on iPhone
Now that we know what these techniques are and what they do let's see how we can perform them.
Part 2: How to Soft Reset iPhone
The method of soft resetting your iPhone is a very straightforward and easy way of rebooting your phone. Not all models of iPhone have the same style of performing a Soft Reset. So, if you are wondering how do I reset my iPhone and have no clue, here’s a list of iPhone models from iPhone 5 to iPhone XS/XR and how to perform a soft reset on them:
Steps to soft reset iPhone 8 or earlier devices
Press and hold the Power button on the top or side until you see “Slide to power off” appears.
Drag the slider and you device will be shut off.
Now press the Power button again until you see the Apple logo screen.
Steps to soft Reset iPhone X/XS/XR/XS Max
Hold the Sleep/Wake button on the side and the Volume Down at the same time (volume up works, too, but that could accidentally take a screenshot, so down is more straightforward).
Wait until the Power-Off Slider appears.Must read:Gihosoft Free iPhone Data Recovery:https://www.gihosoft.com/iphone-data-recovery-free.html
Move the slider from left to right to shut down the phone.
After your device turns off, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again.
Part 3: How to Hard Reset iPhone
The ways as to hard reset and iPhone vary depending on the model you are using. Here's a list of ways you can use to physically hard reset your iPhone (All models):Must read:Gihosoft Free iPhone Data Recovery:https://www.gihosoft.com/iphone-data-recovery-free.html
Steps to hard reset iPhone 4/4s/5/5s/6/6s (Plus)
Hold the Power button and the Home button.
Keep holding until the Apple logo appears.
Let go once this happens – your iPhone is now resetting.
Steps to hard reset iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
Hard resetting the iPhone 7 series is just the same as above except that instead of holding down the Home button, you have to press and hold the Volume Down button and the power button at the same time.
Hard Reset iPhone X/XS/XR Series
Quickly press and release the Volume Up button
Quickly press and release the Volume Down button
Press and hold the Power button and let go as soon as you see the Apple logo.
Part 4: How to Factory Reset iPhone (4 Ways)
The last resetting technique is the factory reset. This kind of reset removes all data of your device and in one of the methods given below, even repairs and installs a new iOS. If you’re looking for how to reset iPhone completely, here are all the methods for all models:
