With so many upgraded models of Android smartphones coming, we often feel the need to sell our existing phone and buy a new one. However, since smartphones are the big repository of our private data which must be confidential, special care must be taken to remove all our information from the older phone before passing it on to another person.
Here we have listed a few points, after which you can ensure that your Android phone no longer contains information that may invade your privacy.
Back up your data
The most important thing to do is to backup your older phone’s data to a safe storage. The transition from an older phone to a newer phone will be smoother if you have backed up your data in one place so that you can copy it to your newer device from there.
There are several ways to store your data, of which cloud storage is the easiest way. Companies such as Google and Dropbox offer cloud storage facilities. Here we have given the step to backup data on Google.
Step 1: Select Backup and Restore or Backup and Reset after entering the settings menu.
Step 2: If “Back up my data” and “Automatic restore” are available on your phone, enable both functions by swiping the switches.
Step 3: Tap and choose each option to make sure the information is associated with your Google account.
Disconnect all accounts
Make sure the smartphone you are selling is disconnected from all associated accounts. This includes social media profiles, a WhatsApp account, a Google account, and a Microsoft account.
Leaving such accounts logged in can be disastrous for our privacy, as it gives free rein to anyone logging into our virtual world.
Remove SIM and storage cards.
When we are in a hurry, we often tend to make stupid mistakes and leave the SIM card and memory card in the smartphone.
Don’t forget to remove the SIM card and any microSD cards from your smartphone before you sell it.
The microSD card must be removed beforehand as all data on the memory card may be deleted if you leave it in place and factory reset your phone.
Clear your data
Factory reset your smartphone after backing up and transferring your data securely. This effectively clears your phone’s RAM and storage, making it available for use by the next owner.
Factory reset takes some time, so it is better to fully charge the smartphone for an uninterrupted process. To reset data, you can perform the following steps on your Android smartphone.
Go to the settings
Reset the phone by going to System > Advanced > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset) > Reset phone
You may need to enter a PIN or password.
Tap Clear all to finish.
Prepare for sale
Before we pack the show, we need to make sure all the available parts stay in the desired place. Grab all of your phone’s accessories, including the charging cable and adapter, and quickly wipe it down. Place them in the original box. And now your old smartphone is ready for safe sale.
