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    FIN-CSIRT / Practical lesson

    Save your data and prepare iPhone protection

    Find the Apple controls for updates, backup, a missing phone or preparing for sale.

    Users of personal iPhonesAbout 6 minutes of reading + 3 questions
    Start with the example Is the phone missing?

    What you will learn

    • Check a completed iCloud backup and updates.
    • Mark a missing phone through the official feature.
    • Distinguish erasing for sale from protecting a stolen device.

    Practice example

    A message asks you to remove a stolen iPhone

    Unknown message after a theft
    A message asks you to remove a stolen iPhone

    Someone claims to have found the phone and asks you to remove it from Find My before they return it.

    Fictional example. A request to remove protection is no evidence that the device will be returned.
    Show the example explanation
    They want protection removed
    Removing a device from Find My disables Activation Lock.
    Open the check independently
    Use your Apple Account and the official locating feature.
    Keep codes private
    Do not send the contact a device passcode or account codes.

    Choose your task

    Use Settings for device controls, General for system options and Software Update for iOS updates. The paths below apply to recent iOS versions. The Serbian version explains the English labels for readers whose phone menus are not in Serbian.

    Contact IT first for a work iPhone. Use the urgent first steps if active control or money is at risk. Routine backup and update preparation assumes the device is not involved in an active incident.

    Make an iCloud backup

    1. Connect to trusted Wi-Fi.
    2. Open Settings → your name → iCloud → iCloud Backup.
    3. Tap Back Up Now.
    4. Wait for completion and check the latest backup date and time below that option.

    Insufficient storage may prevent completion. Resolve the problem and check the new status before erasing. Photos or other data synced separately to iCloud are not the same as the device backup: confirm access from another device. Do not manually delete them from iCloud to prepare the phone for sale.

    Install an update

    1. After checking the backup, connect the phone to power.
    2. Open Settings → General → Software Update.
    3. Select the offered update and complete installation. The button may say Download and Install or Update Now.
    4. Review automatic downloads and installation under Automatic Updates.

    Use device settings for this. A website or ad offering an “urgent iPhone update” is not this system screen.

    Prepare locating in advance

    Under Settings → your name → Find My → Find My iPhone, check locating is enabled. Find My is Apple’s locating feature. Enabling it activates Activation Lock, which ties device activation to the owner’s account.

    Check you know the Apple Account and have an available recovery method. The Apple account steps help you review trusted numbers and devices.

    If your iPhone is lost or stolen

    1. Enter icloud.com/find in the browser on another trusted device.
    2. Select your iPhone from the device list.
    3. Choose Mark as Lost and finish the locking steps.
    4. Contact the carrier to protect the number and the bank if banking is at risk.

    This web feature does not require a verification code from the missing phone. If Find My was not enabled beforehand, you cannot use it to lock the phone now. Protect the Apple Account and other exposed accounts instead.

    Do not remove a stolen iPhone from Find My, even after a remote erase. For theft, do not add contact details to the screen message; they could be used for another scam. Report to police and do not try to recover the phone from an unfamiliar location yourself.

    Remote Erase deletes data and differs from locking. Read the consequences before confirming; completed erasure cannot be undone. If the phone is offline, the command waits until it connects.

    Erase before sale or a gift

    This procedure is for a phone in your possession. First check the backup, transfer of sign-in verification apps and account access on the new device. Also review handoff preparation.

    If an Apple Watch is paired, keep it close to the iPhone and open Watch → My Watch → All Watches. Tap i beside your watch, then Unpair Apple Watch. This erases the watch and removes its ownership association. Review the cellular-plan choice: keep it for pairing again or remove it if handing over the watch too; ask the carrier about cancelling a subscription. Enter the password yourself in the official process.

    1. Open Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone.
    2. Choose Erase All Content and Settings.
    3. Review what will be removed and the eSIM choice. Check number transfer or reactivation with the carrier.
    4. Confirm erasure only after preparation. Enter the device passcode and Apple password yourself in that process.
    5. Leave the new-user setup screen after completion and remove the physical SIM.

    Reset All Settings only resets settings and keeps your content. If setup still requests the previous owner’s account, finish the official unlinking process before handoff; do not give the buyer your password.

    Check your knowledge · 3

    Your turn to choose the next step.

    Choose one answer for each question shown. More complex lessons select three questions from a wider question bank when the lesson loads.

    Questions and explanations are also available without JavaScript.

    Someone claiming to hold your stolen iPhone asks you to remove it from Find My. What do you do?

    Why does this matter? Removing it from Find My removes Activation Lock, which protects against unauthorised reactivation.

    1. Remove it to prove it is mine.

      This makes using or selling the stolen phone easier.

    2. Keep protection and use the official missing-device process.Correct answer

      You retain control instead of handing it to a stranger.

    3. Send the screen passcode.

      The passcode may enable access to the phone and its information.

    What should you check after Back Up Now?

    Why does this matter? Backup may fail because of connectivity or insufficient storage.

    1. Only that the button exists.

      A button does not establish successful backup.

    2. Whether the phone case is new.

      Physical appearance is unrelated to saved data.

    3. The date and time of the completed backup.Correct answer

      This confirms completion; check important data and apps separately too.

    You are selling an iPhone. Is Reset All Settings enough to remove personal data?

    Why does this matter? Resetting settings and erasing all data are different options.

    1. No; prepare a backup and use Erase All Content and Settings.Correct answer

      Official erasure removes content; preparation prevents losing your only copy.

    2. Yes, the names mean the same thing.

      Resetting settings retains personal content.

    3. Deleting a few photos is enough.

      Other data and accounts may remain accessible.

    No registration. Your answers are not sent; the result is just for you.

    Keep a missing device protected

    Keep a stolen device in Find My. For sale, with the device in your possession, follow the official erase and handoff process.

    Check your Apple Account and trusted devices

    References

    Sources and further reading

    Apple explains sale preparation without manually deleting iCloud data and unpairing Apple Watch.

    Apple documents iCloud backup, iOS updates, Activation Lock, stolen-iPhone steps, device erasure and the difference from resetting settings. These cover Apple features; the carrier and bank handle phone-number and banking protection.

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