Can you factory reset a locked iPhone?
Is it possible to factory reset an iPhone that was locked in DFU?
I don't want to unlock the device, just want to wipe all of the apps/data off the device and get a fresh start. Is it possible to do this? If you have a computer that is connected to a cable to the iPhone then you could install iTunes, then connect the iPhone to your Mac and restore it. In the restore process the software will prompt you for a recovery key. It will need to be provided by Apple and it can be found here
You will need to unlock the device before doing any other action. After you unlock the device, you can delete the contents from /var/db and restart. I suggest you have an external hard drive available to make sure you don't lose anything important. Also, you should always back up your device before doing anything. There is no guarantee of what will happen if you "restore" your phone.
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