Steps to Get Your Android Ready to Trade-In

If you are thinking of trading in your old Android phone for a new one, then there are a few things that you will need to do beforehand. For instance, data destruction is a must, as the last thing you want is for someone to get a hold of your personal data, such as passwords or credit card numbers.

In reality, most people will simply factory reset their old phone and then head to their local retailer to get rid of it, but there are other steps that you should also follow. Here, we will delve into the steps that you should take before you get your Android phone ready for sale.

Step 1: Back Up Your Data

The first thing that you should do is back up all of your most valuable data and files. Even texts and call logs may need to be backed up, depending on your line of business. At the very least, you should back up your favourite photos and videos, and any work or school-related downloads and documents just to be safe.

If you are not sure about how to go about backing up your personal photos and videos, then you can use Google Photos to do so. Google Photos will back up all of your videos and photos to your personal Google account without any manual inputs.

As for documents and downloads, you can upload them onto a cloud-based service of your choosing, such as Dropbox or Google Drive. Alternatively, you can simply back them up to your PC or laptop via USB.

Step 2: Data Encryption

We would also suggest that you encrypt your phone before you reset it, as a factory reset may fail to remove all of your data. There are many detailed guides online that teach criminals how to retrieve a person’s data via highly specialized tools—as such, encrypting your data will ensure that anyone who does try to retrieve your data can’t access it.

Step 3: A Must for Pixel and Nexus Users

Step 3 is not mandatory for certain android users but is essential for those who have enrolled their Android device in the Android Beta program. This is because people who have enrolled their phone with the program will need to unenroll it before they actually try to sell or trade-in their phone.

The program is tied to your Android device itself, instead of being tied to, say, your Google account. As a result, if you fail to unenroll your android device, then the new owner of your phone will have to deal with it on the beta channel, which is something that they may not want.

Even worse is if you decide to unenroll your phone after having sold it. This is because doing so will cause the phone to perform an automatic reset, which may prove to be disastrous for its new owner!

Fortunately, unenrolling your Android phone is very easy. Simply head to the Android Beta website and click on the “Unenroll Device” icon that is next to your phone to take care of the problem.

Then, your phone will be pushed to the most recent stable build, which will require a reset. However, since you are planning on trading in the unit, this is not only a good thing but a must to ensure that your data is completely removed from the android device.

Step 4: Factory Reset Your Android Device

Now, while we did touch on factory resetting during our discussion in step 3, there are a few additional details that you should be aware of. For instance, it’s important to remember that a factory reset of your Android device will also erase everything on your SD card.

Many people who use SD cards will insert them into their device and then completely forget about them until it’s too late. So remember to either back up the data on the SD card or remove it from the phone before factory resetting it if you want to keep it for your new phone.

Next comes the actual steps that are involved in factory resetting your Android device:

1. Head to the settings section of your Android device.
2. Click the “Backup and Reset” icon.
3. Click on the “Factory Data Reset” icon.
4. Hit the “Reset” icon.

At this point, we should mention that the actual wording on your phone may differ slightly, depending on the model and make of your Android device, but the gist of these steps still applies.

Step 5: Collect Your Reward

The final step is to trade in your phone or sell it. If you decide that you want to sell it, then we would suggest that you start your journey with Swappa instead of the usual websites. More and more people have discovered the benefits of selling and buying phones on Swappa, as the site does not charge exorbitant fees like many other auction sites, like eBay.

Optional Step: Unlock Your Phone

Now, you do not have to unlock your phone, but it may be in your best interest to do so, as unlocking your Android device may add some monetary value to it. That is, if you decide to unlock your phone, then its new owner can use SIM cards that were not used by its original carrier.

Hence, the new owner of your phone will have the option of going with another carrier if they wish, which may save them some money in the process. Fortunately, you can often go to your original carrier and ask them (nicely) to unlock your phone for you before you trade it in or sell it. Assuming you’ve had it for at least a few months, and that your account is in good standing, most carriers will unlock the phone for you without issue.

To learn more about data destruction, or to make use of our Android data destruction, recycling, and online reporting services, please visit eCycle Solutions at our website or give us a call at 888-945-2611.