It is very possible that the question raised in this headline has ever appeared to you. Knowing how often to restore an iPhone is a very widespread and quite interesting question, since formatting a computer is not a task that should be done for no apparent reason due to what it entails at the level of data and settings, which are lost. That is why we will address this issue in this article, trying to resolve this question and delve into the different situations in which this is recommended, in order to take the best possible care of the iPhone software and the phone itself in short.
When the iPhone has software problems
It is true that iOS, the operating system of the iPhone, is a very advanced software and with which Apple tries to squeeze the maximum power of the iPhone hardware. However, there is no perfect operating system and there may be certain failures that lead to a malfunction of the device. There may even be certain versions that, due to some flaw in their programming, present generalized flaws. Many of these problems are usually solved with a software update to the latest version, but if this is not solved, restoring is always the best idea. Some of the most common related software bugs are:
- The iPhone is slow.
- Applications do not open or close unexpectedly.
- Failure to update iOS appears.
- Problems connecting to the internet.
- Coverage problems in areas with good signal.
- Failure to link Bluetooth devices.
- Unexpected phone reboots.
- Problems saving a backup while having space in iCloud.
- Failure to synchronize with other devices.
It should be noted that some of these failures, such as those related to coverage or the internet, could be solved by simply resetting the network settings in Settings> General> Reset. Other failures could derive from the hardware, but if your device does not present problems of this type or you have tried other solutions, the most effective without a doubt is the restoration. And of course they are not the only possible failures, but the most common as we have highlighted above.
If new ‘big’ versions of iOS come out
Apple’s software release scheme goes through several phases over the course of a year. In the months of September or October, the version we call ‘big’ is launched. For example iOS 11, iOS 12, iOS 13 and the following. Then intermediate versions like iOS 13.1, iOS 13.2, etc. Also in between the intermediate ones (worth the redundancy) versions such as iOS 13.1.2 or iOS 13.1.3 can come out, since these are released when there are specific bugs that need to be solved as soon as possible.
Well, knowing this we could say that the best recommendation for the iPhone to work smoothly is to restore the software with each large version that appears. It is not one hundred percent necessary, as we will tell you in another section of this article, but it does help the iPhone to start a new life in a way without dragging possible problems from previous versions. Therefore, each September or October would be a more than ideal date to reorder your device.
With the purchase of a new iPhone
If you change your iPhone for any other, be it new, second-hand, a current or previous generation, it is best to configure the iPhone as new without loading any previously made backup. The reason for this is that the software of your phone is adapting precisely to the iPhone model you have and although it can be loaded perfectly on another device, it is very possible that in the long run the problems that may arise related to this have their origin in the previous team. Even if you change an iPhone of a certain model for an identical one, it is advisable to carry out this action. We insist that problems may not appear, but it is an effective way to prevent them from appearing.
When the laziness of manually deleting data appears
Perhaps this is the most curious reason of all those exposed in this article, since there is no apparent reason to require a restore if there are no software bugs or a heavy version of iOS has not been released. However, it is understandable that many times we accumulate so much information on the phone that it is somewhat tedious for us to have to manually delete it. Applications, photos, calendar events, settings made, wallpapers, etc.
One way to end all of this is by restoring. Of course, keep in mind that some data is still kept if it is synchronized with iCloud . This is very good because even restoring the iPhone you can access content such as photos, calendars, notes and more that you had previously saved; however it is somewhat contradictory if you also want to eliminate all that. One way to see what is synchronized and what is not is by going to Settings> your name> iCloud and activating or deactivating the box for each of these data.
Does something happen if you never restore your iPhone?
There is no clear answer to this question. As a general rule, nothing happens for not doing it. If your iPhone has no faults and you continue to use it as normal as the first day, you should not worry. Perhaps you read in some forum or other place on the internet certain “gurus” who recommend doing it regularly, but nothing is further from the truth. Although it is advisable to do it in cases such as those exposed in this article, nothing has to happen if you do not do it. In fact, you will always be on time to format your iPhone in the event of errors, so do not get obsessed with this matter.
Most recommended way to format iPhone
If you enter the settings of your iPhone you will find options to restore from the device itself and visual effects you will have the feeling that the phone has been completely formatted. Data and settings are erased in the same way and may be an option to some extent. However, what this method does is restore the software, loading everything new on top of the old. That is why the real way to completely restore an iPhone is through a computer , regardless of whether it is a Mac or a Windows PC.