Selling Your Old Phone - Things to Do
Selling Your Old Phone: Things to Do

Considering selling your old iPhone or Android phone but aren’t sure how to go about it? There are many ways to sell your old phone, but you must first take certain steps to protect your personal information from getting lost or falling into the wrong hands and prepare your device for sale. Don’t worry – we’ll walk you through everything you need to do step by step.

Selling Your Old Phone: Things to Do

Back up your data

When preparing your old phone for sale, the first thing to do is to back up your data. You certainly don’t want to lose any vital information, so back up everything. This means your contacts, messages, photos, videos, documents, third-party app data, and anything else you want to keep or transfer to your new device. Android phones and iPhones have built-in backup features, and if you need help with this process, check out the official Apple or Google user guides. By making a backup, you can be sure that all your data is safe before you wipe it from your phone. While you’re at it, take screenshots of your home screen to be reminded of frequently used apps and save the screengrabs somewhere.

Sign out of all accounts

After backing up your data, sign out of all accounts, sites, and apps, including email, social media, banking, shopping, and streaming apps. For example, sign out of your Google Account(s) and other online accounts if you’re an Android user. Or, if you’re an Apple user, sign out of iCloud, iTunes, iMessager, and the App Store. Before doing this, check if you know all your passwords – you will need them to sign back in again. For those using a password manager, this should not be a problem. In addition, remove your phone from the list of trusted devices if you use two-step verification or multi-factor authentication. Removing all the linked accounts from your old phone is also recommended.

Selling Your Old Phone: Things to Do

Remove your SIM card, MicroSD card, and paired devices

SIM cards and MicroSD cards contain sensitive personal information, so don’t forget to take them out before selling your device. You may need your SIM card for your new phone if you’re keeping the same phone number. If you don’t need it anymore, destroy it so no one else can use it. Also, if you paired the phone you’re planning on selling to another device, like a smartwatch, make sure to unpair it before proceeding to the next step.

Perform a factory reset

Once you have completed the above steps, it’s time to wipe all your data on your phone. A factory reset will effectively erase everything stored on your device and restore your phone to its original system state. You can find the factory reset option in your phone settings, and the process doesn’t take very long. It’s a crucial step before offering your device for sale, and it’s the safest way to ensure that all your data is completely erased.

Selling Your Old Phone: Things to Do

Clean your phone and gather all the accessories

After resetting your phone to factory settings, clean it from the outside, so it looks its best. First, unplug all cables and turn off your device. Then, gently wipe it with a soft, slightly damp microfiber cloth and carefully clean all the ports of dust and dirt. You can get a better price if you have the original box and all the accessories that came with your device when you bought it. So, gather all the accessories, take some good photos, and put everything in the box.

Determine a price and list your phone

Now that your phone is ready for sale, you should find out the market value of your device and choose where to sell it. Take some time to research online and explore your options before making a final decision. There are many sites or apps where you can sell old electronics, like Decluttr, SellCell, or Swappa, and typically you can get a much better deal by selling your phone on a marketplace than trading it in. Consider visiting sites like these to see other sellers’ prices for similar phones. Once you determine a price and select a marketplace, list your device for sale with detailed descriptions and photos.

Cancel any protection plans/insurance on your old phone

Last but not least, if you have a protection plan or insurance on your old phone, don’t forget to cancel it. Contact your insurance provider, which will give you all the necessary information on canceling your insurance policy.

If you’re selling your old phone, you probably have a new one, so make sure it doesn’t go unprotected!

Phone insurance is an excellent solution for protecting your new phone against common mishaps and accidents, including cracked screens, liquid spills, drop damage, theft, or power surge caused by lightning.

See all the benefits of our iPhone Insurance and Cell Phone Insurance and get a free quote today!