3 Things You Need to Do Before Selling Your Smartphone

When it’s time to upgrade your cell phone to the next big thing, it can feel a little overwhelming. But when it comes time to sell your current device, just know that you are in control, and can take a few simple steps to ensure a smooth transition to your new phone. Whether you’re wiping your phone before you sell it, or you just want to create more storage space and speed up your phone, use Quick Cleanup to quickly remove junk files from your phone:

Find a Replacement Device

Whether it’s a Samsung or a Google Pixel, a prepaid device or your older brother’s old smartphone, you need a new device before you decide to get rid of the old one. If not, you run the risk of being phone-less once your current device is sold. Most people in today’s age couldn’t survive a few hours without their phone by their side, let alone a few days. So make sure you have a new phone in your hands before wiping and selling your old one.

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Backup and Factory Reset

It is important to back up your current device any time you upgrade. Whether you’re saving family photos or hundreds of contacts, it is crucial to back up your phone so you don’t lose any of your information. But before you do a back up, you should clean it of any excess files or any potential junk files.

After a successful cleaning and backup of your phone, you need to encrypt all of your data and then perform a factory reset on the device. Combined, these two steps will thoroughly “wipe” all the information on your device by clearing all logins and passwords, credit card information, and other sensitive materials; this ensures your digital privacy and allows the buyer of your smartphone to get a “brand new” phone.

Do Your Research

When deciding to sell your old phone, you can feel uncertain as to what exactly you can expect from a sale. How much is your old phone worth? Should you trade it in at your local big box store? What about a third-party online retailer? Sites like eBay and Swappa let you set your price, but retailers like Gazelle will offer a guaranteed, fixed price for your device, even if it is lower than what you could potentially get by selling it yourself. Whatever you choose, it’s important to make sure you are getting the most for your current device; this will ease the purchase of your next smartphone.