Reset a District iPad

This article discusses how to reset (aka wipe, aka erase) a District iPad by yourself. You can always send a device to us for reset if you wish, but this article focuses on how to do it yourself, if that is a better option. You do not have to be at a District location in order to do this reset, but the below is written with the assumption that you are.

NOTE: A companion article covers how to do a new device setup after your reset, and the discussion below guides you into that link if you came here to do both parts. (The companion article is separate because it also covers device setups for new iPads.)

Before Reset

Resetting an Apple device is like powerwashing a Chrome device, or like re-imaging a Windows device. It is a very useful tool in our toolkit, but you should always be sure it's the right tool to use, and use it carefully. With that in mind, there are two key things to do before you reset the device on your own:

Update any changing management (MDM) details. If the device is changing owners, or locations, or any device cohorts which might imply changing apps/restrictions/configuration (e.g., if it's going to a different classroom/department/building), please contact the Helpdesk to make sure we can get the information updated in the MDM for a nice clean reset. We can do this remotely, usually over the phone. If nothing is changing that would affect the reset, there is no need to update the same information.
Prepare your device for the reset. There is a separate article about how to prepare your iOS device for a smooth, healthy reset. Please do us both a favor and make sure you do the prepare, even if it's the simplest case for your device!

NOTE: If your device is not available to you (e.g., it's locked with a passcode that you don't know, or can't seem to join the right District network, or is in some other state that doesn't let you use the device to do the onboard reset), please contact the Helpdesk about it, and we can arrange a more "heavyweight" reset involving a physical cable and an administrative controller machine. But...if you can get into the device and use the onboard Settings app, and have otherwise prepared for the reset as above, read on!

Reset the Device

Resetting a device is actually very straightforward; the complexities mostly come beforehand. On a prepared device that is connected to the network:

Open the Settings app and go to the General tab.
Navigate to the reset command at the bottom of the General tab. This may vary slightly between iOS versions, but the path is usually either
- Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad, or
- Settings > General > Reset.
Tap Erase All Content and Settings (the equivalent of a "reset to factory settings" command). Depending slightly on iOS version, you may or may not then see another intermediate screen reviewing what is being wiped, but all iOS versions will ultimately culminate with a "are you really sure?" confirmation choice.
If you're ready, confirm it all the way through to the Erase iPad confirmation. The iPad should shortly go dark and restart itself. The progress bar will go more slowly than a normal start as the device clears itself and applies baseline settings.

Next steps

When the device comes up after reset, it is in "device setup" mode. If you are doing the device reset and the subsequent device setup at the same time (and that is most commonly the case), you can now proceed to the article Set Up a New or Reset District iPad. If not, the device can be made ready to do its setup at an arbitrary later time since its enrollment and management configuration should be ready to go.

If Things Go Wrong

First of all, if things go wrong, you are always welcome to contact the Helpdesk; we may be able to help you get sorted out with a quick phone call.

The only thing that commonly goes wrong with the reset stage is that you can't prepare for the reset, as per the above section's recommendations. Usually this involves a device passcode, or an Apple ID to which you do not know the unlocking password, or the device can't get back onto the right wireless network. In this case, give us a call; we may need to have you send it to us, or in a simple case of e.g. a device passcode, we might be able to clear it with a remote command over the phone.