3 Tips to Prep Your Smartphone Data for Trade-In

Play Audio – WTAM 1100 Newsradio – Tech Tuesday – August 12th, 2014

WTAM 1100 Newsradio Cleveland OhioLooking to upgrade your old smartphone using Best Buy Trade-In, or just handing it down to a friend or family member?

Here are 3 steps you’ll want to take before handing the phone over.

1. Back Up Your Data – You may already have your phone setup to automatically sync to an online service like iCloud or your Google account, but it’s a good idea to go ahead and make a manual backup of all your data from the phone. This can be done using the backup tool from the phone’s maker, such as Apple’s iTunes, Samsung Kies, or the Windows Phone Desktop App.

2. Perform a Factory Reset – This process will wipe the phone, helping to clear out your personal data and any apps you’ve installed, and reset the phone back to its default state.

  • Android – Before resetting your phone, it’s a good idea to encrypt your data if you haven’t already. To do this, go to Settings, then click Security and select Encrypt phone. Once that is complete, go back to Settings, then select Backup & Reset, then select Factory data reset.
  • iPhone – For iOS devices, go to Settings, select General, and then Reset. From there, tap Erase All Content and Settings.
  • Windows Phone – Go to the App list and tap Settings. Select About, then Reset your phone. You’ll then tap Yes to the warnings about data loss (you did back your data up, right?) to start the factory reset process.

3. Change Account Passwords – For extra protection, change important passwords that you may have saved to your smartphone, like your Apple ID or Google account. The factory reset on the phone should remove any saved passwords along with your data, but this extra precaution can help.

You may also want to ensure that your phone is removed from any services, like Find My iPhone via icloud.com or as part of the two-factor authorization in your Google Account if you set it up.

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