Can An Eraser Get Scratches Out Of A Phone Screen

How to Erase Your iPhone, Android or Windows Phone

So you've just bought a new phone. You want to sell your quondam phone, but you're worried about the buyer finding personal data on information technology. That'due south smart — y'all can never be too careful. Here's how to remove all that personal data before handing the phone over to a stranger.

Beginning, back up all your data and transfer important files to your new telephone. This should include pictures, documents, apps (with logins) and media (music, videos and e-books). Some platforms, such as Apple'south iOS and Google's Android, and carrier networks, such as Dart, provide fill-in services. If you lot demand a quick online-backup service, we recommend using apps like Dropbox or Google Drive.

Next, delete everything from storage media. Normally, this just means formatting the microSD card, if your telephone has one. Nearly phones take an selection somewhere in the settings menu to format the memory carte. This wipes the information completely. Some other option is to simply remove the microSD card and use it for your new telephone, as long every bit the new phone accepts storage media (iPhones and many Android phones don't) and y'all go far clear to potential buyers that a microSD card isn't included with the phone y'all're selling.

Well-nigh devices are synced up with any number of social accounts, including Apple, Google, Facebook and Twitter. Sometimes these accounts will use permissions, a telephone number or a device ID to sync up with your device. We recommend checking your Apple, Google and Facebook account settings and removing this particular data from the account.

The next, and most important, step is to perform a factory information reset, also known as a factory wipe or hard reset. In essence, the factory reset removes any personal information and apps and returns the telephone to the default state the phone was in when you purchased it.

Android Smartphones

ane) Open your Settings app and click Full general.

ii) Tap Backup And Reset.

three) Tap Manufactory Information Reset. This function volition reset all your setting and remove all personal data from your phone.

four) Ostend that the phone can delete the listed data. After you activate Factory Data Reset, your device volition list what data information technology will delete. For instance, some phones will not delete photos unless you lot opt to do then. If you need to backup files, Android can employ Google Drive to provide back up. If you accept, the system will reboot and return to factory settings.

Pro Tip: Many Android phones have boosted device-specific methods for performing a manufactory reset. Some apply item codes to do a full reset, others have specific button combinations for shutting it off. Check with your telephone's designer to determine what method will work for you.

iPhones

ane) Make sure you've backed everything up: Apple can use iCloud to salvage various features, including settings, contacts, and music.

2) Tap the Settings app and select General.

3) Tap Reset. It can exist found at the bottom of Full general menus.

4) Push "Erase all content and settings". If you've locked your iPhone settings, y'all will accept to re-input your security code.

If you've lost your code or want to sync your phone directly with your estimator, you can perform a factory data reset by connecting the telephone to a computer and using iTunes.

1) Open iTunes and sync your iPhone with your computer.

2) Click on the iPhone Listing.

3) Cull Restore.

4) Make sure you back upward your phone if you lot need to.

5) Restore Your Phone. All information volition exist removed, and factory settings volition be restored.

Windows Phones

i) Access your App List. Yous tin can access that past swiping to the left on the chief bill of fare scrolling down the list.

2) Tap Settings. Your settings tin be constitute on your app list.

3) Tap About. You can notice this at the bottom of your settings.

four) Tap Reset Your Phone. Y'all volition so receive ii warnings, requiring you to recognize your actions.

Pro Tip: There are as well methods to perform a hard reset using just physical buttons (book and camera buttons, for case), merely they vary based on manufacturer and model, so y'all'll need to await up the method for your specific device.

If you're truly paranoid: Even after a mill reset, forensic tools used by law enforcement agencies tin get into a telephone (or hard drive) and retrieve information that isn't written over. To make sure everything's unreadable, the data should be encrypted before a factory reset is performed.

If you have an iPhone and y'all've set a screen-lock Pin, your phone is already encrypted. Strengthen that encryption by replacing the PIN with a longer alphanumeric password. Here's how. If you lot're an on Android phone, here'due south how to encrypt it.

Finally, remove the phone's SIM bill of fare, fifty-fifty if you won't need information technology any more than. Information technology may contain lots of your personal information, such as text letters, recent calls and contacts, all of which could hands exist read. If you lot're switching from one phone to some other on the same carrier, or moving to an unlocked phone, you may be able to only transfer the SIM carte to the new telephone.

Christopher Hutton has written on issues of engineering science, religion and civilisation for a variety of sites, including VICE, RNS and Tom's Guide. You can find his website at liter8.net