On an iPhone, Reset can mean a few different things depending on which option you tap, ranging from harmless setting tweaks to completely erasing the phone like new.

The main reset options

When you go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset, you’ll usually see several choices.

  • Reset All Settings
    • Returns system settings (Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, privacy, home screen layout, etc.) to their defaults.
* Does not delete your photos, apps, or personal data, but you’ll need to re‑enter Wi‑Fi passwords and adjust preferences again.
  • Reset Network Settings
    • Clears saved Wi‑Fi networks and passwords, VPN and APN settings, and cellular network configs.
* Useful if you have connection problems; does not erase photos, messages, or apps.
  • Reset Keyboard Dictionary
    • Deletes custom words and corrections you’ve “taught” the keyboard over time.
* Good if autocorrect has gone off the rails.
  • Reset Home Screen Layout
    • Puts built‑in apps back into their original layout and removes your custom app arrangement and widgets from the Home Screen.
* All apps remain installed; only the layout changes.
  • Reset Location & Privacy
    • Resets which apps are allowed to use location, camera, microphone, etc., back to the default “ask again” behavior.
* Next time an app needs access, you’ll see the permission prompts again.

“Erase All Content and Settings” (full wipe)

Separate from the smaller reset options is the big one: Erase All Content and Settings, also found under Transfer or Reset iPhone.

  • What it does
    • Erases all your personal data: photos, messages, downloaded apps, app data, Apple Pay cards, and accounts.
* Returns the phone to factory‑like condition, as if it were new out of the box.
  • When people use it
    • Before selling, trading in, or giving away the phone, to protect privacy.
* As a last resort for major software issues when nothing else fixes them.
  • Important warning
    • If you don’t have a backup (iCloud or computer), your data is permanently lost after this reset.

Simple way to remember it

  • “Reset” options menu = mostly about fixing glitches or undoing customizations without touching your personal content (photos, messages, etc.), except they clear some saved settings like networks and permissions.
  • “Erase All Content and Settings” = full factory‑style wipe that removes everything personal and is what you use before selling or starting completely fresh.

If you’re ever unsure, avoid tapping anything that mentions “Erase All Content and Settings” until you’ve made a backup.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.