Retiring an old iPad? Back it up first
Q: If I retire my old iPad for one of the new models, how do I make sure all of my data is off the tablet and none of it is left behind before donating or selling it?
A: Apple's instructions and interface to reset an iOS device have a refreshing simplicity — the process itself is identical in iOS 7 and iOS 8.
But the documentation and the user experience leave out steps you shouldn't neglect before getting your data off an iPad or other iOS device and restoring it to factory condition for resale or donation.
They all revolve around backups. That might not seem like an issue at first, thanks to Apple's automatic iCloud backup. But that service has some key limits. If the total of your iPad's photos, videos, documents, and settings exceed the 5 GB of space you get for free, you'll have to exclude some items from iCloud's backup.
And because iCloud assumes that you'll restore any purchased music, movies, books or movies from Apple's online stores, relying on an iCloud backup risks losing copies of any items no longer sold there.
Backing up an iOS device to iTunes is slower and requires you to sit down with your desktop or laptop, but it ensures that you won't lose anything on the device. To do that, update iTunes to the latest version, then plug in your iPad or iPhone, select it from the left-hand column in iTunes, click the "Encrypt backups" checkbox (this ensures that saved passwords get backed up too), and then click "Back Up Now."
You'll be asked if you want to transfer any purchases from the iDevice that aren't saved in iTunes already; click yes, just in case. Then you get to wait: A backup of a 16-gigabyte iPad Mini that had last been backed up a few weeks ago took about 20 minutes.
When that's done, unplug the iPad, open its Settings app, tap General, then Reset, then "Erase All Content and Settings." After you enter the device's passcode, confirm twice that you want to nuke its contents and type in your iCloud password to remove it from the service, it will reboot into its setup screen.
That bit with your iCloud password ensures that the device is disconnected from the persistent Activation Lock feature that will otherwise ensure that nobody else can use the device. And it's why you can't leave it to the next user to reset the device.
The existence of Activation Lock should also be all the reminder necessary never to buy a used iPhone or iPad without first seeing it powered on and unlocked. If the seller says the device's battery is dead, insist on charging it first.
TIP: YOU DECIDE WHICH APPS CAN USE YOUR LOCATION ALL THE TIME
After a few days with iOS 8, you may be confused to see dialogues advising you that one app or another is "sharing your location in the background" and asking if you want that to continue.
That doesn't mean those programs have developed a newfound curiosity in your whereabouts. Instead, that dialog is iOS 8's way of letting you know what they've been up to all along and giving you a vote in that.
You can cancel that background tracking with that dialog, or you can see what all of your apps do with your location in the Settings app. Open it, tap Privacy and then Location Services, and you'll see a list of every app that asks iOS for your device's location.
Tap any one app to see an explanation from its developer as to why it needs that data, plus the option to disable that access or, in some cases, to allow it only when the app is open.
Rob Pegoraro is a tech writer based out of Washington, D.C. To submit a tech question, e-mail Rob at rob@robpegoraro.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/robpegoraro.