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What to do before giving away or selling your Android phone or tablet: A complete guide



On an Android phone, do this by connecting to a USB port on your PC. Once the phone appears as a drive in the file explorer, drill down to the camera (likely called DCIM for Android devices) and music folders to grab what you need and place them where you'd like on your computer. If you have a Mac and an Android phone, download Android File Transfer to move content. All iPhones use a similar method, but through the iTunes desktop software instead.




WHAT TO DO BEFORE GIVING AWAY OR SELLING YOUR ANDROID PHONE OR TABLET



All GSM phones require SIM cards to function, and if you're sticking with the same GSM carrier (AT&T, T-Mobile in the US) then swapping phones is simply a matter of switching SIMs. One key bit of knowledge frequently overlooked is what type of SIM cards you're working with. Specifically, what size your current SIM card is and what size your new phone accepts. For example, older phones use micro-SIM cards, but most current phones now use smaller nano-SIM cards.


The data on most Android phones is encrypted which means that it can't be accessed following a factory reset. As such, you don't need to worry about another person accessing this information if you sell your Android phone. While data that's backed up on the cloud remains accessible, this requires signing in to an account (for example signing in to Google to access Google Drive documents). So as long as it's only you that holds the passwords, this backed up data is secure and inaccessible to others.","author":"@type":"Person","name":"Amakiri Welekwe","description":"Amakiri is a UK-trained technology consultant and cybersecurity evangelist, working at the intersection of security, technology, and people. He has a master\u2019s degree in network systems with over 10 years\u2019 experience in managing IT services and infrastructure. He\u2019s been writing about cybersecurity since 2013.\n","url":"https:\/\/www.comparitech.com\/author\/amakiri-welekwe\/"}},"@type":"Question","name":"Can I remotely erase my Android device?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, it is possible to erase your Android device remotely. This feature can be found in the native security settings of your device or through some third-party applications. By erasing your device remotely, you can help ensure that any sensitive information is not accessible by anyone else if it is lost or stolen. A remote erase will erase all data on the device and may not be recoverable. Make sure to back up any important information before proceeding. Enable a lock screen passcode or other security measures before performing a remote erase, as it will help prevent someone else from accessing your device after it has been erased.","author":"@type":"Person","name":"Amakiri Welekwe","description":"Amakiri is a UK-trained technology consultant and cybersecurity evangelist, working at the intersection of security, technology, and people. He has a master\u2019s degree in network systems with over 10 years\u2019 experience in managing IT services and infrastructure. He\u2019s been writing about cybersecurity since 2013.\n","url":"https:\/\/www.comparitech.com\/author\/amakiri-welekwe\/"]} "@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":["@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.comparitech.com\/","@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.comparitech.com\/blog\/","@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"VPN & Privacy","item":"https:\/\/www.comparitech.com\/blog\/vpn-privacy\/","@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"How to wipe an Android phone","item":"https:\/\/www.comparitech.com\/blog\/vpn-privacy\/wipe-android-phone-before-selling\/"]BlogVPN & PrivacyHow to wipe an Android phone We are funded by our readers and may receive a commission when you buy using links on our site. How to wipe your Android Phone completely before selling it Thinking of selling or recycling your Android device? Make sure to delete your data so you're not handing personal information to a stranger. We explain how to fully wipe an Android phone or tablet. Amakiri Welekwe Technology Advisor Cybersecurity Evangelist UPDATED: January 19, 2023


So a new Android phone or tablet has just caught your attention, and you are looking to upgrade to the latest one as quickly as possible. But what do you do with your old device? There are a number of options available. You may want to give it away, trade it in with your carrier, put it up for sale, or recycle it.


The importance of backing up everything on your phone before wiping it cannot be overemphasized. Ideally, if Backup to Google Drive is turned on, device settings, apps and app data, SMS, call history, and contacts are automatically backed up and synced with Google Drive. Otherwise, you need to manually back them up.


Your computer, phone, or tablet holds all kinds of personal information about you, and before you sell, return, recycle, or donate it, you should make sure to delete all of that information correctly. On most devices, wiping your data securely is pretty straightforward, and doing so can prevent your data from being recovered by someone you would rather not have it. How you do this depends on which operating system you have and what type of storage drive your device has.


It's a critical step to factory reset your phone before selling it. By doing so, you're essentially wiping off all your traces from the phone's memory so that the next owner cannot access any of your personal info. It also makes the device run smoother since all the files and apps you downloaded will be erased, cleaning up the RAM and internal storage.


Sadly, Android phones don't retain their value as well as iPhones do, so selling yours might be harder than expected. That said, Samsung phones are usually a bit easier to sell than other Android brands given the company's reputation.


Selling old tech gadgets isn't as simple as selling old furniture; there's a lot that you need to do to ensure your privacy and security don't get compromised. If you've followed all the above steps carefully, you're ready to sell your phone. Simply list it on a marketplace and start negotiating with buyers!


This is akin to selling your old computer. You probably already know that you should wipe (or, even better, remove) the hard drive from a computer before giving it to someone else. There are a few similar steps to take with a phone.


Wipe the phone and return it to factory conditions. This should be common sense, but you absolutely must "wipe" your phone before giving it away. This step makes it factory-fresh and eliminates any trace that you once owned it. There's an easy way to do this built into all major smartphone operating systems today:


Every year, millions of us upgrade to a new mobile phone. Rather than leaving your old mobile phone unused in a sock drawer, a good option is giving your old mobile phone to someone else, like a friend or family member.


Now that all of your information is safely stored, you'll want to factory reset your phone and give it a thorough cleaning before sending it out. Follow the steps below, and your phone will be as clean of a slate as can be, with no personal data left behind.


If you've followed through all the instructions above, you're just one last step away from trade-in bliss. Whether you're shipping your old phone out to trade in or handing it over at a physical store, you should always, always double-check that it's in the condition that you and the retailer agreed to.


After you have done transferring and creating a backup of all your essential data like contacts, images, videos, personal chats, documents and other data to the new phone, make sure you log out of your personal accounts before resetting everything and then putting the device on a factory reset setting.


To save your WhatsApp chats before shifting to a new phone, create a chat backup from WhatsApp settings on Google. You can choose to include or not include some files in your chat. Then when you do a fresh install of WhatsApp on your new device, you can restore the chat backup.


Callers must have your prior express written consent before making telemarketing calls using a prerecorded or artificial voice. Telephone solicitation calls to your home are prohibited before 8 am or after 9 pm.


Autodialers that deliver a prerecorded message must release the called party's telephone line within five seconds of the time that the calling system receives notification that the called party's line has hung up. In some areas, you could experience a delay before you can get a dial tone again. Your local telephone company can tell you if there is a delay in your area.


Caller ID spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used in fraudulent activity or sold illegally, but also can be used legitimately, for example, to display the toll-free number for a business.


Under FCC rules, telemarketers calling your home must provide their name along with the name, telephone number, and address where their employer or contractor can be contacted. Telemarketing calls to your home are prohibited before 8 am or after 9 pm, and telemarketers are required to comply immediately with any do-not-call request you make during a call.


Right off the bat, the phone will greet you with "Hello" in a variety of languages. From here, your iPhone will guide you through the process of selecting your country or region, connecting to a Wi-Fi or cell network, setting up Touch ID or Face ID and creating a pass code. When the "Apps and Data" screen appears, choose the "Set Up as New iPhone" option. You'll then be prompted to sign in with your existing Apple ID or create an Apple ID for the first time. Next, you can choose to set up the virtual assistant Siri and customize a few final options and privacy settings before you tap "Get Started" to begin using your new smartphone. 2ff7e9595c


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