Smartphones come up with new models every year, introducing new features while reinforcing and updating existing ones for better usage. 3.50 billion people all over the world own a smartphone. By 2023, the number of owners may increase to 7.33 billion.
Depending on the reasons you have, selling your old phone can provide well as an emergency source of income. It can also be an opportunity for a collector to have said device with them. Before slating your phone to sell to potential buyers, you need to make the necessary preparations.
Today, we will look at the preparations you need to take before selling your phone. The last thing you need when you sell your phone or mobile device is getting your information compromised.
1. Remove Your SIM Card
The first step to have your phone to sell is to remove any user fingerprint on the device. You start by removing the SIM card from the phone. More so if you still plan to use it due to how easy it is to transfer your information from one phone to another with it.
If you plan to get a new SIM card, it would still be a wise decision to take the old SIM with you. The reason behind this is that your old SIM card may still have your contacts recorded in it. It may also have other bits of information stored in it that you may want to keep with you.
To remove your SIM card, use the SIM ejection tool to open and eject the card tray. This usually comes with your phone after buying it. If in case you don’t have one available, you can use a pin or an earring to open the tray.
2. Unmount or Remove your SD Card
The next thing you need to do is to unmount and remove your SD card. This works for phone models that have slots for external memory such as micro SD cards. You can find this on either the edge of your phone or behind the battery cover.
What you do with this is to transfer all forms of media saved on your phone into this storage volume. If you have music, video clips, photos, and such content on your device, you can transfer it here as a backup. This way, you can migrate them and transfer them either on the new phone or on your computer.
3. Back-Up and Erase Your Data
This is a crucial step in maintaining your data privacy and prepping the phone to sell. You need to transfer your data from your phone into a backup. This can be through your cloud storage system or to your computer.
These bits of data includes your call history, text message logs, and so on. Your media files are also among these bits of data that you want to back up.
Once you have your information backed up, you may proceed with erasing the data on the phone. You would also need to encrypt the data to make sure that no one gets to see the information on the device. You can also apply this approach to the SD card if you plan to give it along with the phone.
4. Reset to Factory Settings
Now, you need to have your phone seem that it looks new again. This is where resetting the phone comes in. By doing so, you erase all sorts of information and data you stored in it.
Before you do this, you need to double-check a few details. Check if your device has the Factory Reset Protection disabled. The steps for this vary depending on the type of device and the operating system used.
For iPhones and iPads, you can remove the Activation Lock after erasing your device. On later iOS versions like iOS 11, you can do this by entering your device passcode. This works when you have two-factor authentication on.
For Android devices, you need to remove your Google account from your phone. After which, go to Settings and then to Accounts and Sync. From there, go to Google and select your account.
From there, select Remove Account after pressing the three dots and opening the menu from it. Once you have the account cleared out, proceed with the Factory Reset.
5. Clean Up the Phone on the Outside
Cleaning the phone up from the inside is one thing, ensuring that the phone comes in fresh and ready for the new user. You also need to clean up the outside as well. This way, you remove any traces of the previous usage and give it a more impressionable appearance.
One of the things you should clean up is the smartphone screen. You can use touch screen wipes to clean the screen surface and then apply a screen protector as well. You can also move to replace the battery cover in case there are such accessories available.
6. If Damaged, Have it Repaired
If it comes with damages, you need to have it repaired. Areas that receive notable damage include the touch screen. A damaged touch screen could result in making the phone unusable and unappealing.
As much as possible, have the phone checked and repaired. You can consult the nearest iPhone or iPad screen repair technician for this. Make sure it also doesn’t need an iPhone battery replacement to ensure that the sale goes through smoothly.
7. Rebox the Phone and Accessories
Once you have everything fixed and cleaned up, you now have a phone to sell. It is time to add the finishing touches. Have the phone packed with its accessories into the box.
The box helps in your efforts of selling the device. Include the essential accessories that came with the smartphone. This includes the chargers and the other default devices.
Prep Your Phone to Sell Today
Preparing your phone to sell would need the proper preparations. Clean up the data inside the phone and make sure no trace of your information is in there. Clean and touch up the outside as well, to make it look fresh and new.
To make sure your phone is in great condition, you can check out our repair services. We work on smartphones and mobile devices of different brands!
