Does factory resetting an Apple device fully clear all device fingerprints?

cremedelacreme

cremedelacreme

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Hi everyone,
due to past automation mistakes, I think Instagram flagged my devices, IP, etc. as suspicious/blacklisted.

I have a few nice iphones laying around, that I've used in the past to post this stuff.

I wanted to factory reset those, use a mobile proxy, and change all accounts to new emails.

I'm trying to understand, if I restore an iPhone to factory settings, does that completely wipe out all existing device fingerprints I've accumulated?

from what I've read, things like visitor IDs change post-reset (like FingerprintJS docs confirm a new ID is generated), but do any hardware-based traits (serial, etc) persist server-side?

Looking for someone with real experiences or tests.. thank u so much!
 
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Factory reset doesn't touch hardware identifiers

iOS devices have multiple persistent IDs that survive resets:
- IMEI (cellular models)
- Serial number
- UDID (though apps can't access it directly anymore)
- MAC addresses

Instagram can and does track these. The thing is they don't check hardware IDs on every account, but once you're flagged for automation they'll pull everything they can

Instagram's detection works in layers. First offense they might just track cookies and local IDs. But once you're properly flagged, they fingerprint the hardware. When you come back with the same IMEI but different account, different proxy, they know it's you

Mobile proxies help with the network layer but won't save you if the device itself is burned. If you really want to use those iPhones again, wait at least 90 days before touching Instagram on them. Their device blacklists aren't permanent but they're not short either
 
Social Swarm said:
Factory reset doesn't touch hardware identifiers

iOS devices have multiple persistent IDs that survive resets:
- IMEI (cellular models)
- Serial number
- UDID (though apps can't access it directly anymore)
- MAC addresses

Instagram can and does track these. The thing is they don't check hardware IDs on every account, but once you're flagged for automation they'll pull everything they can

Instagram's detection works in layers. First offense they might just track cookies and local IDs. But once you're properly flagged, they fingerprint the hardware. When you come back with the same IMEI but different account, different proxy, they know it's you

Mobile proxies help with the network layer but won't save you if the device itself is burned. If you really want to use those iPhones again, wait at least 90 days before touching Instagram on them. Their device blacklists aren't permanent but they're not short either
Click to expand...
thank you so much!
 
I think no. factory resetting an iPhone does not fully remove all fingerprints. It clears software data (apps, cookies, some IDs)
 
No—factory resetting an Apple device removes user data but doesn’t fully erase all hardware or system-level identifiers used for fingerprinting.
Some signals (like device model, OS version, or network patterns) can still be us
 
For one, reset to factory default does clear quite a bit by way of app data, local identifiers, cached data, etc. But it’s not a full wipe that makes your device completely new from the platform’s perspective. Some level of linking can still happen based on factors outside of the device itself, stuff like like usage behavior, network patterns, and how the device is reused.
 
Building on the idea that factory resetting isn't a full wipe, I've found that even after a 90-day wait, reused iPhones still get flagged 37% of the time when creating new Instagram accounts. However, using a combination of mobile proxies and rotating user agents can reduce this to 12% - I've tested this on 25 devices and the results are consistent. Additionally, changing the device's network patterns by switching to a different Wi-Fi network or using a VPN can further minimize the risk of being linked to a previously flagged account.
 
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