So you’re selling your android phone to someone, ready to purchase a new one. That’s wonderful, but are you sure you’ve done everything you could to make sure your phone is safe to sell? Your android phone holds a lot of your personal information – in fact, a treasure trove of information about you. According to Gizmogrind, below are the top 10 mistakes that you make sure you must avoid the following mistakes before you sell your old android phone.
- Not Backing Up Your Data
Your data is your life. Make sure you take a full backup of your data, including movies, songs, and games and so on, and upload it all to a secure drive online, such as Google Drive or even on an external hard disk.
- Not Deleting Your Data Permanently
After you’ve backed up your data, delete it from your phone. Take the time to delete your contacts, texts, photos, personal information, preferences, addresses, passwords and anything else you might be storing on your phone.
- Not Resetting Your Device
Perform a factory reset to remove all the files from your device. This will revert your phone back to its original state, the way it was when you first unpacked it. This is one of the most important things to do before selling your android phone.
- Not Encrypting Your Phone
There was ways to get hold of your data even after deleting it and resetting your phone to factory defaults. Encrypt your phone so that your buyer cannot use your data even if he or she is able to somehow access the deleted data.
- Forgetting To Include Spare Accessories
When you’re selling your device, make sure you include all the stock accessories and extras that came with the device originally. Unless you’ve informed the buyer otherwise. If you’re using any aftermarket batteries, be sure to take them out.
- Forgetting To Clean The Device
Since we handle our phones all day long, they tend to get clogged with bacterial residue. It’s a good thoughtful gesture to thoroughly clean your device before handing it over. Remove dust build-up if any and also clean the ports before handing over.
- Deactivate Your Wi-Fi
Always deactivate your WI-FI from your android phone before any other step. WI-FI can be misused with horrendous results, especially if you forget to change your password after selling the device.
- Remove SIM/Microsd Cards
Some phones store contacts and call logs on SIM or microSD cards. Be sure to remove both before you hand over your phone to your buyer. If you want to hand over the microSD card take a backup of the contents and format it before handing it over.
- Not Evaluating The Condition Of Your Phone
Your phone may work fine but you won’t be selling it if it was spiffy. So take the time to evaluate it after doing the factory reset. If anything needs fixing up, take the time to get it fixed before handing it over.
- Not Unlocking Your Phone
There are so many fancy locks to android phones now. Resetting to factory defaults will remove any screen locks. However, if you’re a fancy system app to lock your phone, uninstall the app and make sure the phone is unlocked when you hand it over.
Visit Gizmogrind.ca to get a detailed, friendly quote for your android device. Multiple shipping options are provided for you to send your phone across to the buyer. Gizmogrind helps you prevent e-waste by helping you with useful articles and resources on how to successfully clean up your android device and sell it successfully.
