Before Selling Your Smartphone

Picture this, your shiny new phone arrives wrapped and boxed perfectly! So many new capabilities, and a fresh start. It’s the adult equivalent of a child opening a box of crayons on the first day of school. A new phone is such an exciting feeling until we realize that everything we love on our current phone will need to be set up and transferred to our shiny new device. This can take a lot of time but making sure our old devices don’t become a security breach is vital. Here are a few steps to take before selling your old phone.

Unpair- First things first, make sure any paired devices are updated and then unpaired. Any watches, speakers or other types of devices should be prepped for the change. Open your paired devices accompanied applications, run any updates necessary, and then follow your device’s instructions to unpair them from your phone. It’s a tedious task, but well worth the time taken. This will make pairing these devices with your new phone so much easier.

Back it up- Before you can start anew, you must protect the past you want to keep! Pictures, contacts, calls, and texts, make sure to save any valuable information you just cannot part with to your choice of virtual storage so it can be transferred to the new device upon set-up.  When we carry our phones with us every day, we use them to record all those special moments in life. Backing up those memories, so they are not lost is a vital step. No matter where your “virtual locker” resides, move your essential information there until you’re ready to move it over.

Log Out- Make double sure to log out of all your personal accounts for any applications that are factory. Logging out ensures that your information stays secure and safe. You don’t want someone else to be able to access your valuable data. Protect it by making sure to log out of your Google Play, iTunes, or any other such accounts that work with your device. Protecting your information is critical, and this makes the transition more pleasant for the new owner as well.

Erase and Reset- It’s time to rip off the wrapping from your new device and turn it on for the very first time! Make sure all of your prior work comes to fruition on your new device; pair devices, upload needed information you backed up before, and log on. Once all you need is transferred, then there is one final step. Before you store or sell your old device, be sure to erase or reset your device to factory settings. This protects all your private and personal information and is a crucial step in ensuring the new owner can log into their own accounts without any hassle.

Now, it’s time to enjoy your shiny new device and fill it with your memories, old and new! Sell off the old phone for the extra cash or store it away as a backup. Either way, you’ve taken the required steps to ensure your information stays with you and doesn’t end up in the hands of someone else.