Despite the good reputation of iOS device’s inherent protection, malware/viruses may still infiltrate the operating system and other components of an iPhone, especially if it has been Jailbroken. After noticing any of the indications of malware attack on your iPhone highlighted in our article here, the next step will be to try to clean and remove the malware/virus from your iPhone.

The best and most effective method for removing malware/virus from iPhone is by Resetting the iPhone to Factory default settings. Doing so wipes off all of the data on the iPhone , including the malware/ virus data. As a prior step to the factory default resetting, a much softer approach may be simply deleting all of the data and uninstalling some unknown apps. Restore the iPhone from a clean backup.

Follow below practical steps for removing malware/virus from iPhone:

Delete all of your browsing history and browsing data:

The virus/malware may be hooked to your browser add-ons, browser data, and/or browser processes. Such cases usually manifest as in browser pop-ups. In such a situation, you can simply delete all browser history, browser data, and clear all browser add-ons. Most malware/viruses are advanced and may not be fully cleaned with this process, it is nevertheless worth trying in case you have critical data without backups.

1. Go to iPhone settings
2. Select the applicable browser. example: Safari
3. Tap clear history and website data button
4. Repeat steps for all other applicable browsers

Restore your iPhone from a previous clean backup

Frequently backing up your iPhone is a very effective strategy for recovery in case of inevitable incidents such as malware/virus infection. This “Restore from clean backup” involves simply restoring the data and/or your complete iPhone to an earlier clean state prior to the malware/virus infection. iPhones have iCloud feature which is a Cloud storage solution for such data and/or iPhone backups.

The backup from iCloud option can be found in the settings menu under Apple ID:

1. Go to iPhone settings
2. Tap on your Apple ID to access the iCloud settings and options
3. Go to Manage Storage, and then choose Backups
4. Restore the device from the latest recent backup

Resetting iPhone to Factory default settings

As a final option, the complete iPhone can be reset to the Factory default settings. This is a comparatively “aggressive” reset which wipes off all data, and resets all configurations and personalized settings to their default states. The “Default state” is either when the iPhone was first purchased prior to initial setup or the state when the iPhone first came from the production Factory (as the name suggests).

1. Go to iPhone settings
2. Choose General from the Settings menu
3. You’ll find the option to reset and choose “Erase All Content and Settings”
4. Your phone will be restored to its factory settings after this procedure.