When buying a new phone, many carriers and retailers offer discounts in the form of trade-in offers. A trade-in offer is when you send in your old phone that meets the vendors’ requirements in exchange for cash or credit for another device.
Trade-in programs have become a norm in the smartphone industry. While it was most common with carriers for users to trade in their old phone towards a newer model, it is also becoming popular for refurbished phone retailers and as an incentive to reduce electronic waste.
Many refurbished phone stores now offer trade-in programs to get credit towards another device, or they buy old devices—offering quick cash—and resell them. However, if you’re looking to trade in your phone, the process isn’t as simple as simply powering off the device and handing it over.
There are now many steps involved in preparing a phone before trading it in, like wiping previous user data. This guide covers how to perform a full phone reset so you can properly sell or trade in your device safely.
Step-By-Step Guide To Resetting Your Phone
Resetting your device isn't just important to stop embarrassing texts or photos from falling into the wrong hands. A factory reset is essential for protecting your user data and sensitive information.
The last thing you want is someone you don’t know to have access to sensitive information or be able to access your accounts, like emails or social media. If you forget to factory reset your device, it’s also possible for it to cause issues like missing notifications.
Backing up your data
Before resetting your phone, it’s essential to back up your data. Whether your phone is packed with precious memories, like photos and videos, or you need important documents to move to the cloud, it’s important to do this before factory resetting.
To back up your data, you generally have two choices:
-
Upload data to the cloud; or
-
Transfer to a new device.
If you haven’t bought your new phone yet, uploading the data to the cloud is the best option, but it can be more time-consuming. The exact specifics will depend on your device’s operating system and apps, but here is a general how-to:
-
Open your photos and/or gallery app and navigate the settings menu. Most apps should have the option here to click “Backup to Cloud”.
-
For Android devices, applications are usually linked to Google Photos. For iPhones, it is typically linked to iCloud.
When uploading important documents, you’ll have to have a file manager app. You can download one from the device’s app store if you don't already have one. Using the file manager application, you should be able to select documents to upload to your chosen cloud storage. If you’ve already bought your new phone, it’s possible to transfer your data, including media, apps, message history, and files from your old device to your new one.
Both iPhone and Android devices have the functionality to transfer files, apps, and settings to a new device. However, the steps to perform this will vary depending on your smartphone’s operating system and manufacturer.
It’s also possible to transfer data from different manufacturers and operating systems to a new phone. So, it’s possible to move and transfer files from a Google Pixel to a Samsung device or from Samsung to an iPhone.
Once you’ve successfully either backed up your data to the cloud or transferred it to a new device, you can start the factory reset progress. Below, we’ve outlined the process for devices running iOS 18 and Android 15.
How to do a full iPhone reset
To do a full reset of an iPhone device so it’s ready to be sold or for a trade-in requires erasing all content and settings. The steps for this are:
-
Open Settings
-
Select General
-
Click on Transfer or Reset iPhone
-
Tap on Erase All Content and Settings
-
If asked, enter your iPhone passcode or Apple Account password
-
Tap Continue to confirm
If you have an eSim, you can choose to either erase the eSim or keep it. It’s also possible to erase an iPhone using a Mac or Windows device. The process is:
-
Connecting your iPhone to your computer using a USB or USB-C cable.
-
On your Mac, open the Finder window, or open the Apple devices app on your Windows PC.
-
Click the iPhone icon in the Finder sidebar (below Locations), then click General at the top of the window.
-
Click ‘Restore iPhone’, then click ‘Restore’ to confirm.
These two processes will securely erase your iPhone's personal information, content, and settings (such as privacy and network settings). It is also restored to factory (default) settings.
How to reset an Android device
Below is the process of factory resetting and securely wiping all data and content for a Google Pixel (stock Android operating system) device. For other Android phones, the process will vary slightly.
-
Open the phone’s Settings app.
-
Navigate from Systems > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset)
-
To erase all data from your phone’s storage, ensure you select ‘Erase all data’
-
If asked, enter your phone’s PIN for confirmation
The Benefits of Selling Your Device To A Refurbishing Company
There are various benefits to selling your device to a refurbishing company. Not only are you getting paid (or credit towards another device), but it is also environmentally friendly and a sustainable practice. Here are the benefits:
Environmentally friendly
A refurbished smartphone has a much smaller environmental footprint than a brand-new device. Statistics show it helps reduce up to 91% of its environmental impact every year. So, selling your refurbished phone contributes to a more eco-friendly smartphone industry and reduces electronic waste.
Sustainable practices
By selling your device to a refurbishing company, you’re contributing to a circular economy. A circular economy is a sustainable business model that focuses on reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Get paid
Many refurbishing companies will pay users for their old device, even if it’s not in perfect condition. This is a great chance to earn some quick cash or get money to put towards a new device.
Data security
Selling your device to a refurbishing company also ensures your data is being securely wiped, ensuring your personal information is protected. Recent statistics reveal that improper smartphone disposal is becoming a massive security concern, increasing the risk of hackers mining personal data.
What Are Your Trade-In Options?
When looking to trade in or sell a device, there are various options available. The options and trade-in outcome will also depend on your phone’s model, condition, and demand. For example, an iPhone 16 will have better trade-in options than an old Samsung device. Generally, there are typically two choices when it comes to trading in a phone:
-
You can trade your phone into a carrier for credits to put towards a new device or bill.
-
Selling your old phone to a refurbishing company, like OzMobiles, to receive cash or credit towards a device from them.
-
Some smartphone manufacturers, like Samsung, have trade-in programs with incentives.
Upgrade Your Phone With OzMobiles
Looking to upgrade your phone? Here at OzMobiles, we stock a large range of refurbished devices, including the latest Android phones and iPhones. We also have a trade-in program where you can get cash for your old device by selling it to us.
Why sell us your device?
-
The quote process only takes 60 seconds.
-
We offer fast payments, so you can get paid within 3-5 business days.
-
Not happy with your quote? We will return your device for free.
You can sell your device to us in a few easy steps:
-
Head on over to our trade-in program and find your phone using our search tools.
-
Select the condition that your phone is in (e.g., brand new or working) and fill out the form about the device’s details.
-
Send in the package for testing and an evaluation, then wait for payment.
You could even use the cash you get back on a new device from us. All the devices we sell go through an extensive refurbishment process from a qualified technician. The phone is tested and repaired if needed to ensure it is fully functional and running optimally.
The phones we sell also come with a free 12-month warranty and a 30-day risk-free return period. If you have any questions about what phone you should upgrade to or our trade-in program, contact us today. We’d love to hear from you.
