Understanding the necessary steps before selling or giving away your iPhone is crucial. Here is a straightforward checklist of steps to ensure you notice everything.
1. Make Sure your phone is unlocked
First, make sure that your phone is completely unlocked. If you purchased it directly from the Apple Store, it’s already unlocked and compatible with any carrier. When you buy it from a particular carrier, the phone is typically locked to that carrier and may not work with other carriers.
2. Collect your phone accessories
If you’re considering upgrading to a new phone, consider purchasing additional accessories like a charger, phone case, screen protector, and more. If your old accessories are still in good condition, you can include them with the phone you’re selling or give them away as a bonus.
3. Ensure you have a backup of your phone
If you want to back up your phone’s data before erasing it, you can use iCloud or iTunes. If you rely on iCloud for automatic data backup, it’s still a good idea to manually backup your data on iCloud one final time. To back up your phone on iTunes, connect it to your computer, open the iTunes app, and select your phone under Devices.
4. Ensure that your photos are stored in a separate location
If everything goes smoothly with your data backup, you should have no trouble transferring all of your photos to your new device. However, unforeseen issues can arise, and losing valuable pictures due to a technical glitch is unfortunate.
If you already have all your photos stored in iCloud, then there’s no need to worry about this step.
5. Disconnect your Apple Watch
If you own an Apple Watch, this step will be relevant. One important reason to unpair your Apple Watch is to ensure that it stops sending your information to the phone once it is no longer in your possession.
6. disable Find My iPhone, iMessage, and FaceTime.
Before you switch to a new iPhone, it’s important to disable specific settings on your old device, such as Find My iPhone, iMessage, and FaceTime. It is important to disable these features to prevent future owners from accessing your information.
To disable Find My iPhone, navigate to Settings, select your name, and choose Find My iPhone. After disabling the toggle, you’ll be prompted to enter your Apple ID and password. Additionally, disable iMessage and FaceTime in your device’s settings.
7. Log out of your Apple ID and iCloud
Afterwards, please log out of your Apple ID and iCloud account. By taking certain precautions, you can ensure your privacy on iCloud. Ensure that all the preceding steps have been successfully executed before proceeding, as it is imperative to be logged in with your Apple ID to utilize your phone.
To sign out of your Apple ID and iCloud account simultaneously, go to Settings, select your name, and choose Sign Out.
8. Remove all data from your phone
Before proceeding, verifying that your data backup was successful is essential. Once your data is deleted, there is no way to recover it. Navigate to Settings, General, and Reset to erase all content and settings. Now, it’s time to input your passcode. Before proceeding, you must confirm your decision to delete your data and settings. Select the option to erase your iPhone.
9. Remove the SIM card
Before handing over your iPhone to its new owner, removing the SIM card to utilize it for your new phone is important. To accomplish this, you will require a SIM eject tool or any other object that can fit into the tiny hole on the side of your phone.
10. Disconnect your phone from your Apple account
Now, it’s time to remove your iPhone from the list of trusted devices. To accomplish this, you must log into your Apple account using a different device, like a MacBook or iPad. If you don’t have another Apple device, you can visit Apple’s website to unlink your iPhone from your Apple ID.
In conclusion
If you regularly update your iPhone, it’s a smart move to pass it on to a family member, sell your phone, or trade it in with Apple for store credits. Passing on your iPhone is also beneficial for the environment. However, taking certain steps to protect your data from falling into the wrong hands when passing your iPhone to someone else is important.