With a variety of new iPhones or other phone brands and types to choose from on the market, each brand new day extends an opportunity for a new phone. Then what happens to your old iPhone? Whether you are considering trading in your old iPhone for a discount on a new one, selling it, or giving it away, the first thing you need to do is figure out how you will correctly wipe your iPhone. If your personal information is backed up, you can always access it from a new device. However, do not let a stranger get a hold of your information. Here is how to correctly wipe your iPhone before you sell it or give it away.
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1. Sign Out from Important Apps
If you are still signed in to certain apps, ensure to sign out before you give away your phone. After logging out from all important apps like Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc, you can choose to uninstall them. Simply uninstalling them doesn’t remove your phone’s access to the app
2. Disable Find My Device
Before you sell, give away, or trade-in a device, you should turn off Find My. When Find My feature is disabled, the Activation Lock will also be turned off. Activation Lock helps prevent anyone else from using your device if it’s ever lost or stolen. And since you are purposefully giving away your iPhone, follow the step-by-step guide on how to disable the Find My device features on your iPhone.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap on [your name].
- Scroll down to and select Find My.
- Tap Find My [device], then turn off Find My [device].
3. Sign Out of iCloud, iTunes, and the App Store
Before you give away your iPhone, you must consider signing out of iCloud, iTunes, and the App Store. All three are listed under your Apple ID thus by signing out of your Apple ID, you will have signed out from your iCloud, iTunes and App Store. Once you successfully signed out your Apple ID, the old iPhone will no longer access your Apple account. To sign out;
- Go to Settings.
- Tap your name.
- Scroll down and tap Sign Out.
Quick Note: If your iPhone asks if you want a copy of your Keychain, contacts, and other data, keep all of these turned off since you don’t want to keep them on the device you plan to give away or sell.
4. Unpair your Devices
If you paired your device to accessories like Apple Watch, Airpods, Bluetooth headsets/speakers, and smartwatches, you should consider unpairing them before you give away your phone. Accessories that have paired with your device connect automatically. Although this will happen if you are physically close to the new iPhone receiver. To unpair Bluetooth devices;
- Open Settings.
- Tap Bluetooth and then toggle on the feature.
- You will be able to see Bluetooth accessories that are paired with your device. Hit the info (i) button beside each Bluetooth device and select “Forget This Device.”
If you own an Apple Watch, unpair it by doing the following:
- Hold it near your iPhone, then head to the Apple Watch app.
- Tap the My Watch tab, then select All Watches.
- Tap the info (i) button beside the watch you want to unpair.
- Select Unpair Apple Watch.
5. Signout from iMessage
iMessage is the preferred way to communicate for most iPhone users. However, If you planning on giving away your phone, you need to sign out so that the next iPhone holder does not access your iMessage. To sign out from iMessage,
- Go to the ‘Settings‘ app.
- Select ‘Messages‘.
- Tap on ‘Send & Receive‘ under the iMessage option.
- Next scroll to the bottom and tap on the Apple ID, which will be in blue.
- On the pop-up menu, hit ‘Sign Out’ to log out of iMessage.
6. Erase All Data and Reset your iPhone
After signing out from all important apps/accounts and also removing all identifiable features and personal information from your device, you can erase all of your data and reset your device. Here is how to achieve that;
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Choose Erase All Content and Settings.
- Tap Continue.
- If you previously turned on Find My iPhone, you may be asked to enter your Apple ID to disable the feature and Activation Lock.
- Enter your device’s password when asked. Once you enter your iPhone’s passcode, your iPhone will proceed to delete your data.
Now that you have erased all data, remove your Simcard.
7. Remove your Old Device From Your Trusted Devices
Every time you try to sign in from a new/different device or browser, Apple will send a verification code to these trusted devices to confirm your identity. A trusted device is an iPhone that Apple knows is yours. However, since the iPhone is getting a new owner, you should detach the iPhone from the list of trusted devices. You can do this on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or the web. Here is how;
On a new iPhone:
- Go to Settings, then tap your name.
- Tap the old iPhone from your devices list.
- Select Remove from the account.
On a Mac running macOS Catalina or later:
- Head to System Preferences.
- Click Apple ID, then choose your old iPhone from the sidebar.
- Click Remove from account.