What should I do with my phone before I trade it in?

VIDEO: 4 Steps to Take Before Trading In Your Old Phone
  1. Back up the information. Move the items you want to keep or will want to transfer to your new phone to a computer or the cloud. ...
  2. Wipe the phone memory. ...
  3. Remove the SIM or SD card. ...
  4. Double-check.
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Do I need to do anything to my phone before trading it in?

Before you send in an Android device to Apple as a trade-in, be sure to do the following: Back up your data. Erase the device. Remove any SIM cards, memory cards, cases, and screen protectors.
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How should I prepare my device before I trade it in?

Preparing your Android device for trade in or sale
  1. Backup settings & data to Google. Before parting ways with your Android device, you'll want to save all your settings, data, photos, music and everything else to your Google Drive. ...
  2. Encrypt your data. ...
  3. Disable Factory Reset Protection.
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Do I need to clean my phone before trading it in?

Before you trade in your old phone, it's important to properly wipe the data clean. A factory reset will work, so long as you encrypt the phone first. For Android users, if you existing phone runs Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) or newer, your data will already be encrypted by default.
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Do I need to factory reset my phone to trade in?

Whether you plan to trade in your old Android phone for a discount on your new phone, sell it on eBay, give it away to a friend, or drop it off for recycling, you're going to want to wipe it of all your data first by resetting it to factory conditions.
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Things To Do Before Selling or Giving Away Your iPhone



How do I clear my old phone before recycling?

For Android devices, open up the Settings app then tap System > Advanced > Reset options, and then Erase all data (factory reset). Over on iOS, the equivalent option is in the Settings app under General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
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Does a factory reset delete everything?

A factory data reset erases your data from the phone. While data stored in your Google Account can be restored, all apps and their data will be uninstalled. To be ready to restore your data, make sure that it's in your Google Account. Learn how to back up your data.
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Does factory reset delete photos?

A factory reset will delete your pictures and all the data such as contacts, text messages, videos, etc.
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Will erasing my old phone affect my new one?

No, it will not. Erasing the old device will not affect the new one. That is necessary for you to be able to wipe the device.
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Does erase iPhone delete everything?

After you enter your passcode or Apple ID, the iPhone will begin deleting its data, apps, and settings. This process will erase all of your personal information, restoring the phone to its original factory settings.
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How do police dump a phone?

A “tower dump” occurs when a phone company provides law enforcement with data on all devices that connected with a specific cell tower during a specified period of time. Because each cell tower covers a particular geographic area, police can infer from the data that the device owners were in that area at the time.
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Is it safe to sell phone after factory reset?

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you plan on selling or donating your smartphone and want to make sure all of your data is off of it, make sure you do more than just factory reset through the phone's OS.
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Does factory reset remove iCloud?

No. Factory reset of iPhone doesn?t delete your information from iCloud or iTunes backup. The iCloud backup files are stored in Apple? s cloud servers while your iTunes backup files are saved on your PC or Mac drive.
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How much does a factory reset delete?

When you do a factory reset on your Android device, it erases all the data on your device and returns the phone back to its original out-of-the-box state as it was from the factory.
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Does removing SIM card delete data?

The shorter answer is: no. Taking out your SIM card will not delete all of your data. Everything important is already saved to your phone (or iCloud, in the case of an iPhone). You'll still have your contacts, messages, app and even your wallpapers.
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How do I wipe my phone clean before selling it?

How to wipe your Android
  1. Go to Settings> System.
  2. Tap Reset Options;
  3. Choose Erase all data (factory reset);
  4. Tap the Reset phone button;
  5. Tap Erase everything. Your phone will be returned to the same state as when you purchased it.
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Do I need to remove SIM from old phone?

Removing and inserting your SIM card is a simple process, and it can help if you're experiencing certain issues, like a frozen screen or browser connection problems. It's also a good idea to remove your SIM card if you're selling your old phone, sending it out for repairs, or trading it in for a new model.
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Do I need to remove SIM card from iPhone before trade in?

The Apple Store does accept Android trade ins, but before you bring the device, Apple instructs: Back up your data. Erase the device. Remove any SIM cards, memory cards, cases, and screen protectors.
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Do I need to remove the SIM card from my old iPhone?

Whether you're selling your old iPhone, trading it in for a new model, or sending it away for repairs, it's important that you remove the phone's SIM card. A SIM card — or Subscriber Identity Module card — is like a phone's ignition key.
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What is the code to wipe an iPhone?

If you forgot your iPhone passcode
  1. If you enter the wrong passcode on your iPhone Lock Screen too many times, an alert lets you know that your iPhone is disabled. ...
  2. Step 1: Make sure that you have a computer (Mac or PC) ...
  3. Step 2: Turn off your iPhone. ...
  4. Step 3: Put your iPhone in recovery mode. ...
  5. Step 4: Restore your iPhone.
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Can police see permanently deleted photos?

Keeping Your Data Secure

So, can police recover deleted pictures, texts, and files from a phone? The answer is yes—by using special tools, they can find data that hasn't been overwritten yet. However, by using encryption methods, you can ensure your data is kept private, even after deletion.
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Can the police see everything on your phone?

The cops might have access to any accounts your phone was logged into, this means they may have read personal communication, noted your personal accounts including email addresses, social media account names to follow, sent messages or made posts using your log in.
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