Hard reset Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
How to hard reset or fully wipe Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
If your Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max does not turn on, it does not react, it shows an error message when it turns on or you want to sell it, give it away or take it in for repair and you want to make sure that all the content stored in its 256 GB, 512 GB, 1TB internal memory is erased, you will have to force its restoration.
Forcing the restore or doing a “hard reset” is a drastic method that can be used when the iPhone 16 Pro Max settings cannot be accessed either because the password has been forgotten or the operating system is corrupted.
If you can access the settings of your iPhone 16 Pro Max and want to perform a restore, it is preferable to do so using the “Reset” method, otherwise continue reading to see step by step how to force the reset, format or do a “hard reset”.
This procedure erases all the content stored on the iPhone 16 Pro Max so if possible, you should make a backup copy of your data before proceeding and unpair Apple Watch from iPhone.
You will need:
- A Windows or Mac computer.
- A Type-C to USB cable (preferably the original cable included in the iPhone 16 Pro Max box).
- The iTunes program installed on your Windows or Mac computer.
- You must have “Find my” disabled on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
- Make a backup copy to iCloud or your computer.
Estimated time: 10 minutes.
1- First step:
First, from a Windows or Mac computer, open iTunes, check that you have the latest version of the program installed.
2- Second step:
Connect the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max to the computer using the USB cable, it must be a cable that allows data transmission, preferably the original cable.
3- Third step:
Your iPhone 16 Pro Max will ask you to enter the password or access code and iTunes may also notify you that the device is going to access the information on the iPhone.
4- Fourth step:
In iTunes, the device icon shown in the following image will appear active, click to see the features and options available for your iPhone 16 Pro Max.
5- Fifth step:
Click on the “Restore iPhone” button.
6- Sixth step:
If you have not deactivated “Find My” on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, it is time to deactivate it, to do this go to Settings > Tap on your name at the top of the screen > Find my > deactivate “Find my”. It will request the iCloud password to be able to deactivate the “Find my” service on the iPhone. Press “Restore iPhone” again.
7- Seventh step:
If you have not made a backup of the iPhone 16 Pro Max settings and data, a message will appear asking if you want to make the backup before restoring the device, it is important to make a backup to avoid losing all the photos, documents, conversations, keychain passwords and information that you have stored on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
8- Eighth step:
A confirmation message will appear to avoid formatting and deleting all the information on your iPhone 16 Pro Max without being able to recover it again. If you are sure about doing a restoration or hard reset, click “Restore”.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max will take several minutes to erase all its content and return to the factory state, it will restart and you can configure it again as if it were new.
