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Before handing off a phone, back up what you want to keep, remove its physical SIM and any removable memory card, then use the manufacturer’s full erase or factory-reset process. The steps differ between iPhone and Android, and a reset does not erase removable cards. For repair, first check whether erasing will interfere with the service arrangement; for recycling, also use an appropriate electronics collection route.

What to do before a phone leaves your control

  1. Decide what you need to keep. Back up wanted photos, messages, contacts, and other data, then confirm you can access the backup from the account or storage method you chose. A reset removes local data; on Android, apps and their local data are uninstalled.
  2. Check your access credentials. Make sure you know the device passcode or PIN and can sign in to the account currently on the phone. Apple may require the device passcode and, when Find My is enabled, Apple Account credentials. Google advises Android users to verify their Google Account and screen-lock credentials before resetting.
  3. Remove removable cards. Take out the physical SIM and any removable SD or memory card. A phone reset does not clear those cards. Keep them for reuse or handle them separately if you do not want their contents retained. eSIMs are different and require device-specific handling.
  4. Use a complete erase, not selective deletion. Deleting a few photos or files is not a substitute for the phone maker’s full erase or factory-reset procedure.
  5. Choose the handoff path. Follow the iPhone or Android instructions below if the phone works and you can erase it. If it is locked, damaged, or cannot complete a reset, ask the manufacturer and repair provider for their supported privacy procedure rather than assuming a remote wipe has been verified on the device.

The FTC’s phone-disposal checklist likewise advises backing up information and removing personal data before getting rid of a phone.

Erase an iPhone or iPad

Apple’s instructions, published June 12, 2026, recommend backing up and transferring information, signing out, and then erasing the device. Menu labels can vary with software version; follow Apple’s current directions for your model.

  1. Back up the device and transfer any information you want to keep.
  2. Sign out of the relevant Apple services as directed by Apple.
  3. Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset [device] > Erase All Content and Settings.
  4. Enter the device passcode or Apple Account credentials if prompted. If the iPhone uses an eSIM, choose whether to erase the eSIM profile when prompted; account for your mobile plan before confirming.

Apple says erasing turns off Find My and Activation Lock. If you are moving to a non-Apple phone, Apple also advises deregistering iMessage. See Apple’s instructions for preparing an iPhone or iPad for sale, transfer, or trade-in.

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STREBITO Electronics Precision Screwdriver Sets 142-Piece with 120 Bits
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Factory-reset an Android phone

Android menus vary by manufacturer, model, and operating-system version, so there is no single path that applies to every handset. Google directs users to the device manufacturer’s support instructions for model-specific reset steps.

  • Back up data you want to retain and confirm you can sign in to the Google Account associated with the phone.
  • Know the screen-lock credentials before starting. Google advises waiting 24 hours before a factory reset if you recently changed your Google Account password.
  • Use the manufacturer’s factory-reset instructions for your exact handset. Google’s general guidance says the reset can take up to an hour, recommends at least 70% battery charge and network connectivity for the described process, and notes that some steps only work on Android 14 and later.

Google says a factory reset removes data from the phone; information saved in your Google Account can be restored, while apps and their data are uninstalled. Check Google’s current factory-reset instructions and the handset maker’s guidance before proceeding.

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Repair, transfer, or recycle: what changes?

Before a repair

If you can erase the phone without losing data or disrupting the agreed repair, do so before it leaves your control. There is no universal repair-mode or service-preparation procedure across phone brands and models. If you cannot unlock or erase it, ask the manufacturer and repair provider what privacy-preserving procedure they support and what access the repair requires.

Before sale, trade-in, or donation

Complete the platform’s erase process and handle SIM and memory cards separately. For Apple devices, follow Apple’s transfer instructions, including eSIM and iMessage steps where relevant. Keep the backup until you have confirmed that the information you need is available elsewhere.

What’s actually slowing this PC down?

Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.

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Before recycling

Use a manufacturer or retailer take-back program or a local electronics collection facility, and check the facility’s accepted items and local instructions. The EPA’s electronics donation and recycling page offers information on recycling options; its listed services are informational, not endorsements. EPA says devices with lithium-ion batteries should not go in household garbage or recycling bins. Follow local battery-handling guidance and do not put a phone with a lithium-ion battery into either household stream.

Recycling also recovers materials: an estimate attributed by EPA to the U.S. Geological Survey says that recycling one million cell phones can recover 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium. The estimate is from 2006, not a current measure of a particular facility’s yield.

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What a factory reset does—and what it cannot promise

A manufacturer’s full reset is the practical consumer step for removing personal data before transfer or disposal, but it is not accurate to promise that every reset on every phone makes recovery impossible. Assurance depends on the device’s implementation, encryption, and storage; unusually old, damaged, or locked devices may not follow the same process as a functioning current handset.

NIST’s mobile-device guidance describes cryptographic erase as sanitizing the encryption key so encrypted user data becomes unreadable. It says a factory reset does not clear SIM or SD cards and describes disposal as including both a factory reset and removal of associated cards. NIST’s media-sanitization guidance defines sanitization in terms of making access to target data infeasible for a given level of effort. These technical standards provide context; they do not establish that every consumer factory reset is certified or identical to a specialized sanitization process. See NIST SP 800-124 Rev. 2 (May 2023) and NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2 (September 26, 2025).

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