What to do before sending your iPhone for repair

Most repairers are honest, but a phone in a shop passes through several hands, and some repairs end with a replaced board or a reset device. Preparation protects you against two different risks: losing data because the phone comes back erased, and exposing data because someone could open it while it is away.

Back up first, whatever else you decide:

1. 1iCloud: open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then iCloud Backup, and tap Back Up Now. Wait until it finishes and check the time of the last backup.
2. 2Computer: connect the iPhone to a Mac (Finder) or a Windows PC (Apple Devices app or iTunes) and choose to back up. Turning on encrypted local backup also keeps saved passwords and Health data.
3. 3Check apps with their own storage — chat apps often have a separate backup setting, and some authenticator apps need their own export or account sync.

Make sure you know your Apple Account password. You will need it to restore, and possibly to reactivate the phone.

It depends on the repairer and the repair, so ask before you hand the phone over. Apple and authorised service providers publish their own preparation steps; follow those when you book.

• Find My: many repairs traditionally required it to be turned off. Recent iOS versions let some repairs proceed with Find My still on, so you can keep tracking the device — but whether that applies depends on the repair and the provider, so confirm it with them.
• Passcode: many hardware repairs do not need it, because the technician can test the phone without opening your data. If a shop asks for it, ask why and whether the test can be done in front of you instead.
• If you must share the passcode, change it to a temporary one first (Settings → Face ID & Passcode → Change Passcode) and change it back when the phone returns.

For a long repair, or one done by a shop you do not know, erasing is the strongest protection: there is nothing left to see. After you have a verified backup:

1. 1Open Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings.
2. 2Follow the prompts; you may need your Apple Account password.
3. 3When the phone comes back, restore from the backup during setup.

Skip this only if the shop needs your data in place, or if the phone cannot be erased because the screen or buttons are broken — in that case, follow the next section.

• Remove the physical SIM card. If you use an eSIM, leave it installed unless the repairer says otherwise — deleting it may mean asking your carrier for a new one.
• Remove payment cards from Wallet: open Wallet, tap a card, tap the More button, then Card Details, and choose Remove Card. You can add them back later.
• Sign out of banking apps that stay logged in, or check that they ask for Face ID or a code every time they open.
• Move sensitive photos — ID scans, bank screenshots, private pictures — out of the main Library, and empty Recently Deleted. The guide to permanently deleting photos and the guide to storing ID photos safely cover how.
• Turn on Use Face ID for the Hidden album in Settings → Apps → Photos.
• Note the phone's condition with a few photos of the case and screen before you hand it over.

• Change any passcode you shared, and check Settings → Face ID & Passcode for faces or fingerprints you did not add.
• Look through Settings → General → VPN & Device Management for profiles you did not install.
• Confirm Find My is on again and that your Apple Account shows only devices you recognise.

The same habits help when you hand the phone to someone for a shorter time; see how to lend your iPhone without exposing your photos.

Erasing is not always possible, and not every repair lets you keep the passcode to yourself. Content stored in Lockboxy stays protected in that situation, because it does not depend on the phone passcode.

• Lockboxy has its own passcode, separate from the iPhone passcode, so sharing the phone code with a technician does not open the vault.
• Photos, videos, files and notes are encrypted with AES-256 on the device. There is no account and no server holding a copy.
• If you plan to erase, Premium can export an encrypted backup file that you save where you choose — iCloud Drive, Google Drive or Files — and Verify Restore lets you check that the backup actually restores before you rely on it.

The honest caveat: if you forget the Lockboxy passcode and have no Recovery Key (Premium), nobody can open the vault, and an erase without a backup removes it for good. Answers to common questions are in the FAQ.

If you are replacing the phone rather than repairing it, see how to move private photos to a new iPhone.