Clear an old phone before it goes
Hand on an old phone without handing on your life with it.
An old phone still holds your mail, photos, and everything signed in. Erase it before you sell, donate, or recycle it.
It is called Erase All Content and Settings, or Factory Reset, and it puts the phone back to new.
Key points
- An old phone keeps your accounts, photos and mail until it is erased
- Sign out first, or the next owner is locked out
What to remember
- Sign out of the account first, then erase.
- Sign out, erase, then hand it over.
Try this
Find the reset row on a device you no longer use. Look at it, and press nothing.
Practice: Clear an old phone before it goes. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.