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A survey by the Royal Society of Chemistry found that UK households hoard millions of unused electronic devices, and 23% of people surveyed have a mobile phone sitting idle somewhere in their home. 37% said they don’t recycle their electronics because they are worried about data and security.
Our smartphones allow us to receive and send emails and texts and store our financial details, cards, passwords, contacts, and personal images. This is why it is important to follow certain steps to ensure that third parties won't use your data when you decide to sell your phone to a recycler.
Many of us might think that a simple factory reset will do the job, but it's only one of a few steps that need to be completed to protect your personal information. Tapping "Reset to Factory Settings" will delete apps you installed, files and settings, and your phone will look the same when you first unboxed it. However, this step alone will not stop the next owner of your device from recovering your data. It is possible to recover data from a phone that has been reset to factory settings.
So, how can you permanently remove all the data from your phone?
How to remove all data from an iPhone
How to remove all data from an Android
Before removing data from your iPhone, you need the most recent backup to transfer it to your new phone or access files when needed. You can do this via iCloud or iTunes/Finder.
To use iCloud: Navigate to Settings > tap Apple ID banner > iCloud > tap iCloud Backup > Backup Now.
You can also use iTunes as an alternative method for an up-to-date backup of your iPhone.
Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable > Open iTunes or Finder > Select your iPhone when it appears in iTunes or Finder > Click Back Up Now.
For security, a smartwatch or speaker must be disconnected from your iPhone. Here's how to unpair your Apple Watch or smartwatch from your iPhone.
Open the Watch app > My Watch > Tap the ‘i’ icon next to the watch you want to unpair > Unpair Apple Watch.
First, access the Wallet or Apple Pay app to protect your financial information.
Settings > Wallet and Apple Pay > Select your card > Tap on the ‘more options’ icon (three dots in the top right corner) > Remove Card.
Repeat this for every card you have connected to your Apple Pay.
Sign out of all social media, email, and other apps with your login details saved. To disable iMessage, navigate to Settings > Messages > Sign out and then switch off iMessage.
Finally, your iCloud account needs to be removed. Go to Settings > tap on your Apple ID banner > tap Sign out at the bottom > Enter your password to confirm.
To erase your saved website passwords, go to Settings > scroll down to Passwords > Click Edit in the top right corner > Select all and tap Delete in the top left corner.
While in the Settings menu, scroll down and tap on Safari. Under the Privacy & Security section, tap on Clear history and website data. Tap Clear History and Data to confirm.
You should only reset your iPhone to factory settings after completing the steps above. But before you do, you should ensure that your SIM card has been removed.
Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
This final step will help remove your iPhone's serial number from your Apple user account.
Visit appleid.apple.com, sign in with your Apple ID login, access Devices, click on the iPhone you're recycling, and complete the process by clicking Remove.
It is very important to keep your data safe. By combining additional data protection steps with factory resets, you can wipe your Samsung phone and leave no data behind when you recycle it.
Firstly, if you have turned off app sync, your Google apps won't be synced automatically to your Google account when doing a backup.
Head to Settings > Accounts and Backup > Manage Accounts > Turn on Auto Sync data.
If you want apps outside of Google services included in your backup, you will need to visit each app's settings individually and sync them manually.
To upload the recent version of your Android to your Google or Samsung Cloud account, navigate to Settings > Accounts and Backup > Back up data (either under Samsung Cloud or Google Drive, depending on where you want to have your backup).
Head to your browser app, click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner, scroll down to Settings, and then select Passwords. Tap on each password individually and tap the bin icon.
To clear all your browsing history in the Chrome app's settings, click History and then tap on Clear browsing data.
If you use Google Pay for contactless payments, go to the app and remove each card individually by tapping on it and selecting Remove Payment Method from the More Options icon in the top right corner.
Similar steps apply to Samsung Pay users. Open the Samsung Pay app and tap on Payment Cards at the top. Select the card you want to remove, then tap on more options (the three vertical dots) to delete it.
Repeat the above steps for each card connected to your Samsung Pay.
Open your Settings app, look for General Management and Reset in the menu, and tap on Reset All Settings.
Each manufacturer has its own cloud account service paired with a Google account which needs to be removed. To securely remove them, visit Settings > Accounts and Backup > Manage Accounts > tap on each cloud account (Samsung, Google) and tap on Remove account. On Android versions older than 11, the account removal option might be accessed by tapping the More Options icon (three vertical dots in the top right corner).
Log in to your Google account, go to Security, and look for your devices. Then, click Manage Devices, select your Android phone, and click Remove.
This step is probably the easiest. Use the SIM card ejector tool included with your phone or a paperclip to open the SIM card slot and take out your SIM card and any external memory cards you have.
Removing data and performing a factory reset before recycling your old phone is crucial for several reasons. Your phone stores significant personal data, including contacts, messages, emails, photos, financial information, and various account credentials. If this data falls into the wrong hands, it could lead to identity theft, fraud, or unauthorised access to your accounts.
By performing a factory reset, you ensure that all your accounts are logged out and cannot be accessed by anyone who might come into possession of your old phone. This includes social media accounts, email accounts, and other services you may have used on the device.
If your phone is being recycled or handed over to a new user, a factory reset ensures it is in its original state and free of personal data or settings. This makes it easier for the new user to set up and use the device. Now you’ve permanently deleted all the data from your iPhone or Android phone, it’s time to recycle it for some cash! Compare prices from various recyclers and sell your iPhone or Samsung phone today.
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