Member-only story
This story is purely to spread the message about an iPhone “feature” that might make your phone factory-reset, typically while doing sports.
As even a few trips to the genius bar and a complete warranty phone replacement could not resolve the issue, I spent half a weekend reading forums and learned about the “Erase Data” feature:
So, what happened? While doing sports I usually, have my iPhone in a pocket, and while doing so, e.g., when running, the movements must have triggered several failed passcode attempts.
As you can see above, ten attempts would typically be necessary to trigger the “Erase Data” event. However, as soon you sync your iPhone with an Outlook account, the “Erase Data” option is always on — yes, it cannot be disabled anymore, and the number of attempts is reduced to only four fails!
So, if you experience occasional iPhone factory resets while exercising — check the “Erase Data” option… I hope I could help other iPhone users troubled and puzzled by these reset events.
