Checklist Before Selling Your Phone: Backup, Sign Out, Erase Data

Selling a phone takes only a few minutes these days, but the preparation matters more than the sale itself. If you forget an activation lock or fail to erase your data properly, you delay the payout or put your own privacy at risk. With this checklist you are on the safe side.

1. Create a backup

iPhone: Settings, your name, iCloud, iCloud Backup, Back Up Now. Alternatively on a computer via Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows).
Android: Settings, Google, Backup. Additionally back up photos via Google Photos or a local backup.

2. Prepare linked services

• Move two-factor apps (e.g. Authenticator) to your new device, otherwise you lock yourself out.
• Transfer or back up your WhatsApp chats.
• Banking and SwissPass apps: set up device binding again on the new device.
• eSIM: transfer it to the new device via your carrier or deactivate it, and remove the physical SIM.

3. Remove the activation lock (the most important step)

iPhone: Settings, your name, Find My, disable Find My iPhone. Then sign out at the very top of Settings (iCloud logout). An iPhone with an active lock cannot be used by any buyer or trade-in service.
Android: Remove your Google account under Settings, Accounts. On Samsung devices, also sign out of your Samsung account.

4. Erase the device completely

iPhone: Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Erase All Content and Settings. The device encrypts the data and makes it irrecoverable.
Android: Settings, System, Reset, erase all data (factory reset). On older Android devices, enable encryption first if it is not active by default.

5. Final check before handover

• SIM card and memory card removed?
• Welcome screen visible (a sign of a complete reset)?
• Accessories and packaging ready, if available?
• IMEI noted? (Settings or key combination *#06#), useful for your records.

And then: sell

Once the list is ticked off, the rest takes just a few minutes: select your model on remarket.ch/verkaufen, state its condition, see your instant price, send it in for free or drop it off at our store in Basel, Bern or Solothurn. After inspection, you get an express payout within 24 hours. By the way: during professional refurbishment, all storage is erased again with certified data wiping, double security for you.