To make sure your iPhone is fully ready beforehand, we’ve made a checklist of things to do before selling your iPhone.
Things to Do Before Selling iPhone
Here are some of the things you can do before selling or giving away your iPhone to a new owner:
Back up Personal Data
The first thing to care about when selling a phone is your personal data. One easy way to do that is to directly back up all your files to iCloud. When you use another iPhone, you can simply import your data from iCloud. Even if you’re no longer planning on using iOS, you can still back them up and access your iCloud data from any Windows or Android device. That being said, here’s how you can backup your iPhone: Since iCloud doesn’t have more than 5 GB of storage for free, it’s a good idea to expand storage. In this way, every data on your iPhone can get backed up. It’s worth noting that Apple only stores full backups in their servers for six months after the backup. So, it’s a good idea to import the backup on your new device within the said duration.
Log Out of Apple ID and Other Apps
Once you’ve backed up your data, you can now safely log out of your Apple ID and other similar Apple-related apps, like Apple Music, Apple Podcast, and iMessage. Since you’re no longer planning to use the iPhone, it’s no use keeping your accounts logged in. To sign out of your Apple ID, tap on Settings and then select your name. Scroll to the bottom and tap on Sign Out. Here’s how you can do it for several apps, like Messages and FaceTime.
Delete Card Information
If you have payment methods saved in your iPhone, it’s also a part of your personal information. So, it’s wise to remove it entirely. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Remove Family Sharing
Another part of the iPhone to clear up is Family Sharing. If you’re involved in the Family Sharing group, we recommend leaving it and turning it off as well. Here are the steps to remove yourself from the group: Another way you can remove your account from Family Sharing is through a web browser. Similarly, if someone from the Family group has you as a recovery contact, you can request them to remove you.
Disconnect Bluetooth Devices
If you often use AirPods or other accessories, disconnect all your paired devices. You can follow these steps: To disconnect your Apple Watch, you can unpair it in this manner:
Remove iPhone from Trusted Devices
One of the final steps is to remove your iPhone from the Trusted Devices list. This way, you can keep your iCloud and similar services private. You’ll need to perform the following steps on another Apple device or a web browser:
On iPhone
On Mac
On Web Browser
Factory Reset iPhone
You can factory reset your iPhone to wipe all existing data and make it brand new again. Make sure you’ve successfully backed up all your data prior to this method.
Eject SIM Card
Lastly, once you’ve made the iPhone ready to pass it on to another owner, the only step remaining is to eject the SIM card. You can use the ejector tool that comes with the iPhone in the box. If you don’t have one, you can also use a similar object that’s not sharp. If the phone has an eSIM, you can request the carrier company to assign the network to its new user.
