How to Prepare Your Old Phone Before Selling or Trading It
Erase your personal data and reset your old phone before selling, trading in, or giving it away.
Back up your data
~15sSign out of all accounts
~15sTurn off Find My / Find My Device
~15sFactory reset
~15sRemove SIM and memory cards
~15sYou Did It!
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Before you sell, trade in, or give away your old phone, you need to erase all your personal data. Your phone contains emails, photos, bank apps, passwords, and personal information that you do not want a stranger to have. A factory reset wipes everything and returns the phone to its original state.
Step 1: Back up everything first. iPhone: Settings → your name → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now. Android: Settings → System → Backup → Back Up Now. Make sure photos are backed up to Google Photos or iCloud before proceeding.
Step 2: Sign out of all your accounts. This is important — if you skip this step, the new owner may be locked out of the phone, or worse, have access to your accounts.
iPhone: go to Settings → your name → scroll down → "Sign Out." Enter your Apple ID password. This removes your iCloud account and turns off Find My iPhone (which must be off for the new owner to use the phone). Also sign out of iMessage: Settings → Messages → toggle off iMessage.
Android: go to Settings → Accounts → tap each account → "Remove Account." Also go to Settings → Security → Device Admin → disable "Find My Device."
Step 3: Factory reset. iPhone: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings. Android: Settings → System → Reset Options → Erase All Data (Factory Reset).
Step 4: Remove your SIM card and any memory cards. Your SIM card contains your phone number and should go in your new phone. Memory cards may contain personal photos and files.
After the reset, the phone restarts as if it were brand new — ready for the next owner.
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