Do you have an old phone that you want to get rid of? If yes, then it is important to know how to do this in the right way. It may seem easy to dump, donate, or sell your old smartphone when you pick up a new one with a Black Friday deal. However, when a device houses almost all of your personal information, there is a protocol to be followed.
Your smartphone contains a lot of your private details: from contact numbers to images, your phone has curated your digital identity. So, naturally, you wouldn’t want a stranger to have access to all of this information.
Here are 6 things that you need to remember to do before you sell your old mobile phone to keep your data safe and everything else in order. Commit these pointers to memory before selling your phone so that you do not find yourself in a pickle!
Before you sell your old phone
1. Back-up your contacts and phone settings
The first thing you need to do when prepping to sell your phone is to back-up your data. Your mobile phone has apps and contacts that will be lost if you do not save them. If you have a Google account, you can save all your phone settings on it.
Your Google account automatically saves your data pretty frequently. To make sure you have recent data backed up on it, go to the phone settings then follow these steps:
Settings -> Accounts -> Google account
You can check here when the last back-up was conducted and run a new backup if needed.
2. Remove the SIM card and the memory card
The next step to follow before selling your phone is to remove your SIM card and memory card. This should be done irrespective of whether or not you are getting a new SIM card.
You have a lot of contact numbers on this SIM card, and so it is unwise to sell your phone with your SIM card inside. You should back your contacts up on the cloud, but nevertheless all this data should not be sold to strangers under any circumstances for security reasons.
Additionally, if you have a memory card in your phone for more storage, you must remove it before handing over your phone. You might not have a ton of data on it but be sure to unmount it!
3. Conduct a factory reset
A factory reset is a final step before you can get rid of your phone. However, before you hurry to do that, there is one more thing that you need to do. If you use a Google account, make sure you disable the Factory Reset Protection on your phone.
All you need to do is change the default settings and remove your Google account from your phone. This will disable the feature, and you will be all set to do a factory reset. Factory resets are easy to perform: just go to settings and select back-up and reset there. You will be presented with the option to reset your phone and that will do the trick.
This is also important to do because of your phone’s lifespan. It’s recommended that you research how long does an iPhone last in order to make sure you can keep up with the manufacturer’s expected lifespan for your device. Performing regular maintenance, including factory resetting when needed, and keeping your device in good condition will help extend the life of your iPhone. If your phone is not functioning properly or all other options have been exhausted to fix an issue, it may be time to consider a replacement.
4. Save photos
Chances are, you will miss your photos more than anything else if you forget to save them. However, this is easy to avoid: all you need to do is backup your photos and videos to the cloud and you’ll be able to access them at any time.
This is a fairly simple process. Go to your gallery and select the option to save all photos on the cloud. If you have Google Photos, you can select all the albums you want to back up.
5. Back up your texts and call logs
You might also have a ton of important call logs and messages on your phone. It may sound difficult to save all your old messages on a new phone. However, there is a way to upload these logs on your email account for safekeeping.
If you want to save all your call and messaging data, all you need to do is download the SMS Backup and Restore app on the Google Playstore. This app stores all your texts and sends them to you via email.
6. Data encryption
After saving your data, you need to get rid of it. After all, you would not want a stranger to misuse all your important information. So, data encryption is a very important step that you cannot overlook.
Factory resets are certainly a crowd favourite. However, they might not be as efficient as encrypting your data would be. You can encrypt your phone by going into your phone’s settings and changing the default security settings. Once your phone is encrypted, anyone who tries to access your information will need your password!
Summing up
Your security should be your biggest concern before selling your old phone. Make sure you have your data backed-up on the cloud before you erase it from the device, and you will be all set.
Featured image: Stanislav Kondratiev/Unsplash
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