Smartphones these days do far more than just the standard calling and text messaging. These multifunctional devices now handle jobs such as emailing, banking and the like, resulting in our phones loading up on sensitive information. Losing a phone spells disaster for many of us as it could result in breach of security, yet surprisingly, many have no qualms about selling their mobile phones as-is. In effect, selling your smartphone without taking the necessary actions is akin to serving your personal information to a stranger on a platter- for just a few hundred dollars, prior data stored in the phone can be retrieved. To ensure the safety of your data, a full wipe is recommended, on both the iPhone and Android.
Here’s how you can do it in a few easy steps.
Wiping the iPhone
Wiping the iPhone is so simple that failure to do it is simple inexcusable. Simply go to ‘Settings’ in your iPhone, then go to ‘General’ > ‘Reset’ (all the way at the bottom). Select the ‘Reset’ button followed by the option ‘Erase All Content and Settings’. This will result in a full wipe all media content, prior settings and all other data, resulting in an internally brand new phone for the buyer.
Alternatively, you can plug in to iTunes and select the “Restore” button. This gives you a chance to do a last backup (via iTunes) before you wipe your phone. A jailbroken iPhone can also be restored to its un-jailbroken stage via this method, but a jailbroken iPhone usually fetches a higher price.
While this method of wiping your phone is sufficient for a vast majority of people, some suggest doing a more secure, thorough wipe to keep your information safe from hackers. These instructions from iClarified.com show you how, but do take note that you would need to have your phone jailbroken first.
Wiping an Android Phone
Unlike the iPhone, an Android phone has more than one form of storage in it. The internal memory stores apps and system settings, while the SD card(s) store music, pictures and several app settings, so wiping an Android phone takes a bit more work to make sure nothing is left behind.
First, select Settings > SD & Phone Storage. Hit the "Unmount SD Card" option, which would result in the "Format SD Card" button being activated (no longer greyed out). Click on that to wipe your SD card. For extra security, plug it into your computer and fill it up with some big files (like movie files), then reformat it again. When that's done, go back to Settings > SD & Phone Storage and hit the "Factory Data Reset" button. This erases all your other data, blanking it like a brand new phone. Some people recommend re-filling the space with useless information again to make sure it's securely wiped. We recommend downloading big apps (like games) from outside the Market until your phone's storage is full. It will let you know when there's no more space. Make sure you download them from outside the Market, since you don't want to reenter your Google credentials on your phone. You'll probably have to search Google for the files (e.g. download angry birds apk), after which, factory reset again. An alternate method is to simply remove the SD card or provide the buyer with a new one to ensure the safety of your information.
If you have a rooted phone, this does not remove root, and it won't remove any custom ROMs you're running. To do that, you'll need a different program depending on your manufacturer, such as Motorola’s RSD Lite for Motorola. However, you could also sell your phone as rooted—some people prefer to buy their phone pre-rooted. Last but not least, do not forget to remove your SIM card from the phone! And there you have it, a few simple steps for you to take precautions to ensure personal data security. Do remember not to neglect these simple safety measures, as a little goes a long way in protecting your information.
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