iPhone 6(S)/Plus How to wipe a phone that won't turn on?

[nicho]

I have an iPhone 6 that I bought on launch day... since the 7 came out it has spent the majority of its life plugged in to the wall, as it contained a sim card from back home I needed to keep live (for receiving SMS messages only, with forwarding enabled it was a decent solution).

Fast forward to a couple of weeks before the 12 was launched, and the battery started expanding. I stopped using it completely because the screen popped off a little, and when my 12 Pro came I put the sim in there (dual sim woo hoo!).

Now I'm wanting rid of it, but I'm conscious that I didn't erase it... however, it won't even power on. The Apple logo appears, and then it just goes off again. It doesn't show up in find my iphone, but it is listed under my Apple ID as a trusted device. Any ideas on what I can do to wipe it and make sure nothing untoward happens with my data?

 

[ericwn]

I can’t think of any way to erase the data if you can’t get the device to power on.

 

[Apple_Robert]

If you have a Mac, did you try connecting it to see if that triggered it to power on? If it does that, you can then try erasing the phone.

 

[Spudlicious]

Assuming the iPhone 6 is now scrap, go to iCloud/Account Settings/My Devices then click on it in the list. There will be a small cross shown with which it can be deleted from your trusted devices. I tend to think that if you gave the phone to Apple for recycling your data would be as safe, but to be extra double super sure you could open the phone and drill though the circuit board (not the battery) several times or feed it (again not the battery) to a waste shredder. When I worked on contract to a global computer company, optical data discs were disposed of by shredding and then the shredded waste was incinerated, but I always thought that way over the top.

 

[now i see it]

Throw it down on concrete really hard to break the screen. If the battery doesn't smoke, then place the broken phone in a bucket of salt water for a few weeks - outside

 

[JonaM]

The data on the phone is encrypted on the hard drive in it - the question is whether the key in the secure enclave is.
If you set a passcode that should still be there protecting the data and is not trivially bypassed ( it is possible with a 6, but requires more effort and resources than most people would ever consider using on a broken phone).
If it was passcode protected I'd personally recycle with Apple as they will shred it for recycling the metal and have processes in place to ensure secure erasure.
If you didn't have a passcode and there is sensitive data you really want to protect then physical destruction is the way forward. Drills are good if you have access, but beware the risk of fire from the battery!

 

[BrianBaughn]

The battery in an iPhone 6 can be replaced. Just thought I'd mention it since no one else has.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

You have several lines of defense.

Since it's still in Find My, you can initiate an Erase command. On the chance someone revives it, as soon as it is connected to the internet the erase command will do its thing.

The next line of defense is the lock screen passcode (assuming you had one), which is the encryption key for the contents of the iPhone. Whether you fix the phone so you can erase it, or whether someone else manages to get their hands on it and fixes it... If the thing starts up to the lock screen then the passcode must be dealt with. How much did the FBI pay to get that mass-shooter's iPhone unlocked (and the exploits used to open that iPhone 5 were patched in iOS a long time ago - your iPhone 6 undoubtedly has those patches)?

Third line of defense: There's also a good chance it will not start up normally and it will have to be restored to factory settings to get it working. If it has to be restored to factory, then the thing has been erased. Job done.

So, you can do something to physically damage the iPhone to the point nobody would think to try to revive it, or you can hope that the existing defenses are enough to discourage or prevent attempts to extract its contents.

Now, if you're a celebrity, high government official, wealthy CEO or the like who might have people combing through your garbage, it'd be a very good idea to physically destroy the iPhone. Your status might make high-cost data recovery attempts worthwhile. But if you're outside that top 0.05% of the population, that's not likely to happen.

 

[Spudlicious]

The battery in an iPhone 6 can be replaced. Just thought I'd mention it since no one else has.

It’s a 2014 model and no longer supported by Apple. Is it worth a battery?

 

[ApfelKuchen]

It’s a 2014 model and no longer supported by Apple. Is it worth a battery?

iPhone 6 is still "supported" by Apple - it's not yet on their Vintage/Obsolete list, so they will provide repair service and parts are still available through Apple (to eligible repair shops). It's true that it does not run the latest version of iOS, but iOS 12.5 is still quite useable.

A working phone may still be worth a battery, even if it can't run the latest OS. It depends on your needs. For someone who needs basic (and even not-so-basic) phone features it's a cheap fix. For someone who wants a speedy pocket computer with all the latest capabilities, maybe not worth fixing.

 

[BrianBaughn]

It's "jailbreakable", also.

 

[nicho]

You have several lines of defense.

Since it's still in Find My, you can initiate an Erase command. On the chance someone revives it, as soon as it is connected to the internet the erase command will do its thing.

The next line of defense is the lock screen passcode (assuming you had one), which is the encryption key for the contents of the iPhone. Whether you fix the phone so you can erase it, or whether someone else manages to get their hands on it and fixes it... If the thing starts up to the lock screen then the passcode must be dealt with. How much did the FBI pay to get that mass-shooter's iPhone unlocked (and the exploits used to open that iPhone 5 were patched in iOS a long time ago - your iPhone 6 undoubtedly has those patches)?

Third line of defense: There's also a good chance it will not start up normally and it will have to be restored to factory settings to get it working. If it has to be restored to factory, then the thing has been erased. Job done.

So, you can do something to physically damage the iPhone to the point nobody would think to try to revive it, or you can hope that the existing defenses are enough to discourage or prevent attempts to extract its contents.

Now, if you're a celebrity, high government official, wealthy CEO or the like who might have people combing through your garbage, it'd be a very good idea to physically destroy the iPhone. Your status might make high-cost data recovery attempts worthwhile. But if you're outside that top 0.05% of the population, that's not likely to happen.

Unfortunately, I wrote in my OP that it isn't in Find My. If it was, I'd send the erase command and leave it there!

I did have a passcode on it, I think. I'm pretty sure I did - my problem is that I'm not 100% sure and now that I can't check I'm less sure than before!