How to wipe your Android cellphone earlier than promoting or buying and selling it in

About to purchase the newest Samsung cellphone or are you extra of a Pixel individual? Whether you propose to commerce in your outdated Android cellphone for a reduction in your new cellphone, promote it on eBay, give it away to a good friend, or drop it off for recycling, you’re going to need to wipe it of all of your knowledge first by resetting it to manufacturing facility circumstances. Luckily, that’s fairly straightforward to do.

Before you begin, bear in mind that these directions had been examined on a Pixel 3 operating Android 12, however the course of for many present Android telephones must be just about the identical. Needless to say, first make it possible for all your knowledge is transferred to your new cellphone, backed up, or each. Once your outdated cellphone has reset, there’s no going again.

Grid View

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  Reset choices offer you 4 decisions.
  
  

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  You’ll be reminded of that you just’re wiping all of your knowledge, and eradicating your accounts from the cellphone.
  
  

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  Are you certain that is what you need to do? Absolutely certain?
  
  

• Go to Settings
• Select System > Reset choices
• You will likely be offered with 4 decisions. Reset Wi-Fi, cellular & Bluetooth is typically helpful in the event you’re having bother with connectivity. Reset app preferences will restore all your app and notification defaults, amongst different issues. Erase downloaded SIMs will assist you delete any digital SIMs you not want. However, none of those will delete the info in your cellphone. That’s the job of the final selection, Erase all knowledge (manufacturing facility reset), and that’s the one you’re going to pick.
• The subsequent display screen will inform you what will be erased, and which accounts you’re signed into. Select Erase all knowledge.
• If you may have a PIN or another safety setup, you’ll be requested to enter it
• You’ll get one other display screen asking in the event you’re certain that is what you need to do. Are you certain? Then hit the Erase all knowledge button.

That’s it! The course of often takes solely two or three minutes. Your cellphone will reboot and start with the same old opening questions, resembling language, account, community, and so forth. Once you see these, you’ll know that it’s labored.

There are some things to pay attention to. First, in the event you’ve bought a Samsung cellphone, you might be requested to your Samsung account password earlier than you possibly can reset (supplied you’ve created one and added it to the cellphone).

If you’ve bought an Android cellphone that’s utilizing an earlier model of the OS (say, earlier than model 8), the reset could, after it reboots, ask to your login. This could possibly be awkward in the event you’ve already despatched the cellphone to another person. As a outcome, in the event you’ve bought an older cellphone, it’s a good suggestion to show off your display screen lock (by going to Security > Screen lock and deciding on None) and deleting your Google account (which you’ll discover at Settings > Account > Google) earlier than you begin the reset. (In truth, which may be a good suggestion in any case.)

There is proof that some knowledge could stay on a cellphone even after it’s been reset. To be further cautious, you possibly can encrypt the cellphone earlier than resetting it:

• Go to Settings > Security > Encryption & credentials and choose Encrypt cellphone
• Go again to your settings and begin the reset course of

Of course, if you wish to be actually certain, and also you don’t intend to present the cellphone to anybody, you may at all times seize a hammer.

Update September third, 2020, 10:50AM ET: This article was initially printed on May twenty second, 2019, and has been up to date to say newer telephones and to replace a menu choice.

Update March twenty fourth, 2022, 11:40AM ET: Updated to say newer telephones and replace directions for Android 12.