Sell ​​cell phone: delete data beforehand - that's how it works

When the old cell phone has had its day, selling is an option. This practical tip shows you how to delete your personal data correctly beforehand.

Sell ​​mobile phone: delete data - the basics

Selling the old smartphone can make it much easier to finance the new daily companion. If your device is still in a usable condition, you can count on the appropriate hand money.

• But it is even more important that the new owner does not get the stored personal data that has accumulated over time.
• It is easiest to reset the smartphone to the factory settings.
• However, some personal data can be restored after a factory reset. As a rule, quite simple recovery tools are sufficient for this.
• A factory reset is not enough to remove all data from a flash memory, as this would simply take too long. With a memory of 32GB, depending on the processor speed, up to one hour is required.
• Behind such intensive cleaning is the overwriting of each individual memory content with a "0" so that it no longer contains any information.
• However, users repeatedly delete content from their smartphone by mistake, which is why there are programs such as "Android Data Recovery". However, these can also be used to restore incorrectly deleted content by someone else's hand.
• Some smartphone manufacturers are now going different ways, such as Samsung, Apple or OnePlus, whose devices encrypt the internal memory and the content stored on it. Disadvantage: What is deleted cannot be restored.
• For these devices, simply resetting them is sufficient, because this also removes the code key that enables access to the memory. A new key is then generated when the device is re-established.
• However, the operating system must also support this security solution. This has been the case with Android since Android 5.0 and with iOS since version 7. Meanwhile, encryption is in some cases linked to the fingerprint sensor, which can be used for decryption.

Sell ​​Android phone: delete data

If you do not have a smartphone that meets the specified conditions or was manufactured by one of the manufacturers mentioned, you have to resort to other methods to completely remove the data.

• In the settings under "Security" and then "Encrypt phone" you can check whether you can encrypt your device and if necessary.
• The easiest way is - of course - resetting to factory settings.
• Before resetting to factory settings, manually remove all accounts in Settings.
• To reset it, navigate in the settings of your smartphone to "Backup and reset" and then select "Reset to factory settings".
• However, the Google Play Store also offers a large number of delete apps that clean your storage more effectively.
• These include "SecureWipe", "KShred" and "SecureEraser", all of which you can download free of charge.
• The advantage: You can use all the apps mentioned without rooting your smartphone.
• If you prefer a cable connection to the PC, you should take a look at the "Secure Eraser" tool.
• The use of the respective applications is self-explanatory, just follow the instructions on your screen. The "wiping" of the "system memory" (system space) is particularly important.
• You can then restart the smartphone once to check it. The familiar setup screen should now appear.

Sell ​​Apple phone: delete data

With iPhones, the factory reset through encryption from iOS 7 is already very effective. However, there are a few things to keep in mind.

• All iPhone models from the iPhone 4 have data encryption. This ensures that a subsequent reading of your data is more or less impossible.
• However, you should install the latest iOS version before resetting in order to use this security feature.
• Also check whether you have actually activated the function. This requires the establishment of a code lock. If you use this to unlock your iPhone, you don't need to worry.
• Deactivate the location in the "iCloud" settings under "Find my iPhone". Otherwise, similar to Android, there may be problems with the registration for the upcoming user.
• Then select "General" in the settings, then "Reset" and "Delete all content & settings".
• Your iPhone should now be reset to the factory settings.

We will tell you in another practical tip whether and if so, how you can also sell a defective cell phone.