9 Things You Should Do Before Trading Your iPhone
You need to be careful while exchanging or selling your iPhone. More essential, you don’t want to experience difficulties or damage your security or privacy. Therefore, there are a few things you should do to get your old iPhone ready for a new owner before you sell it.
By implementing all of the suggestions discussed in this article, you can protect your data while selling your iPhone.
Nine Steps to Take Before You Sell Your iPhone
- Backup Your Data
It is essential to back up all the data on your iPhone, whether it be on your iCloud account, Windows PC, or Mac if you intend to upgrade. It would be preferable to back up your data on a PC and in the cloud if you can.
If you’re pressed for time, you may speed up the process by deleting unused apps to minimize the size and backup time.
You won’t lose anything once you log in because social networking apps like Facebook and Twitter often save your data on their servers. Please be sure to safely back up all of your data by visiting the in-app settings.
Connect only to a dependable internet connection. You have the option to use both iCloud and iTunes to back up to Apple’s servers or your local computer.
- Using iCloud to backup: Most of the crucial data on your iPhone is routinely backed up using iCloud. But before we show you how to remove your data, you can manually make one final backup.
- Utilize iTunes to backup: To transfer your iPhone’s purchases before backing them up, right-click the device and select “Transfer Purchases” if you’ve made any purchases on it but haven’t yet moved them to your computer. Remember that you can manually create a backup with iTunes even if iCloud Backup is activated.
- Remove iMessages From Your iPhone
Your iPhone may continue to receive iMessages addressed to you even after it has been sold if you don’t expressly switch off iMessage. Turn off iMessage by doing these things to prevent this.
Toggle off iMessage by tapping the toggle next to it after selecting Messages from the menu in Settings. You can also deregister iMessage even if you don’t have access to your iPhone. Your phone number is eliminated from iMessage services when you have successfully deregistered.
- Erase Everything
Before you sell an iPhone ensure you erase the data on it. This ensures that no data is left on the iPhone or iPad you are selling or giving away. However, make sure you have correctly backed up before proceeding.
- Select Settings > General > iPhone Transfer or Reset.
- Select Erase All Content
- Select Continue.
You need to turn off Activation Lock and Find My iPhone to erase all data on your iPhone. You could be prompted for your Apple ID if you previously enabled the functionality. When prompted, enter the device password. The data on your iPhone will be deleted after you enter the passcode.
Make sure to remove the eSIM if you were using one during this process. Your iPhone will show the Apple logo and a progress bar throughout this process. Depending on the type of your iPhone and the amount of data on your iPhone, the procedure could take a few minutes to several hours.
If your iPhone has been jailbroken, it is suggested to click the “Restore” button on your computer to completely erase all of your iPhone’s data and settings.
To be on the safe side, you can sign out of and unlink your device from internet services like Google, Dropbox, Pandora, etc. before wiping your data.
- Turn off Find My iPhone
Your iPhone’s Activation Lock is enabled when you use Find My iPhone. If you don’t force-erase your iPhone and turn it off, nobody else can use it. Therefore, turn off Find My iPhone by going to Settings > Your Name > Find My > Find My iPhone before you sell, give, or trade.
- Move Photos and Videos
You can skip this if you already use iCloud Photos. But if you don’t, and you’ve disabled Photo Library in iCloud Backup to save space, be careful to transfer your photos from your iPhone to your PC. To store your photos and videos, you can also utilize a service like Google Photos or Amazon Photos.
- Take the Outdated Device out of Your Trusted Devices
Check to make sure that your iPhone does not still appear in your list of devices after you have successfully given or sold it.
Make sure you remove the iPhone from their trusted devices after you’ve thoroughly cleaned your iPhone. You don’t want to unintentionally utilize it as a two-factor authentication device or bother the new owner with an Apple ID verification code.
Additionally, you don’t want your iCloud and other Apple services to be accessible to the new owner. You can carry out this action online, on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
Learn how to remove a device from your Apple account on iPhone and iPad if you have additional iPhones or iPads. By performing the identical actions via a web browser, you can by doing the following:
- Go to appleid.apple.com and sign in with the Apple ID that was associated with your previous iPhone.
- Then select Devices.
- If the previous iPhone is listed here, choose it and choose “Remove from the account.”
- Keep iPhone Accessories in One Place
Gather the iPhone’s original box, charging cable, adaptor (if accessible), and SIM ejector tool before trading it. Although these items aren’t expensive, having them will unquestionably improve the buying experience. Not to mention a greater resale price!
Most likely, the cases and screen protectors you purchased for this old iPhone won’t work if you switch to a new generation of iPhone. To ensure a great smile on the second owner’s face, you can also bundle that.
- Remove SIM Card
Before trading your iPhone, you should take the SIM out. You can throw away your old SIM card if your new phone has one.
To access the internal SIM card storage, use a paper clip or the SIM ejector tool. You can ask your carrier for assistance in transferring your service to the new owner if your iPhone has an eSIM.
You can ask your carrier to unlock your iPhone if you want to sell a carrier-locked one to boost its resale value. The buyer can use their iPhone with any carrier of their choosing after having it unlocked.
- Unpair Your Devices
If you have any Bluetooth speakers or Apple accessories, such as an Apple Watch or AirPods, attached to your device, you should unpair them to stop them from automatically connecting to your old iPhone.
This might occur if the individual receiving your iPhone is someone with whom you regularly share space, such as a family member or a coworker.
Turn Bluetooth on by going to Settings, then Bluetooth. All of the connected devices ought to be visible. Select Forget This Device by tapping the information I symbol next to each device.
Conclusion
Your old iPhone does not have to be thrown away or kept in its box indefinitely if you decide to say goodbye and switch to a newer model or another phone.
You can enable it to be useful to someone else while making a few dollars and lowering your contribution to e-waste by selling, trading, or giving it away. Following the tips in these articles will help you sell your iPhone successfully.