Before selling your phone, prove the backup works. Then deal with the accounts

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Selling a phone should not mean selling access to your accounts, or losing the only copy of your photos. The safest time to plan the handover is while the old phone still works and the replacement is available. Do not start with a reset button.

• Back up, transfer and check what you need before erasing anything.
• Account sign-out and device erasure are separate checks.
• Never give a buyer your password, PIN or recovery codes.

Prove the replacement works first

Keep the old handset until important contacts, photos and sign-in routes are available through your chosen replacement or backup. Check banking, messaging and authenticator requirements individually; do not assume a general phone backup restores every app. If your number is changing, establish the recovery route before losing access to it.

Apple's handover guide specifically warns against manually deleting photos, contacts and similar items while signed into iCloud: deletion can propagate to iCloud and connected devices. Its recommended sequence is backup, transfer, then removal of personal information. Deleting files one by one is not a substitute for that procedure.

iPhone: signing out is not always erasing

Follow Apple's instructions for your software version. On iOS 26 and later, its sign-out flow offers an erase choice and a separate option that signs out without erasing. If personal information remains, that is not a completed handover. Apple documents Erase All Content and Settings under General, Transfer or Reset.

Before proceeding, deal with a paired Apple Watch and any service-transfer requirements. Apple says to erase the eSIM profile when selling an eSIM device and describes account verification during erasure. Its instructions say the completed erase turns off Find My and Activation Lock; do not hand over a device that still asks the buyer for your account.

Android: remove accounts, then use the maker's reset route

Google says removing your Google Account turns off Android device protection. Its account-removal guide lists several possible Settings menu names, so follow the one for your device. Removing an account takes its associated information off the phone; this does not mean the whole handset has been erased.

Google's factory-reset guide warns that reset deletes phone data and uninstalls apps and their data. Know the account password and screen lock beforehand, verify backup access, and follow the manufacturer's steps. If you recently changed the Google password, its guidance says to wait 24 hours before a reset.

Allow time and power for the process rather than completing it in a rushed car-park exchange. If setup asks for a previous owner's credentials, stop: do not look for a bypass or share passwords. The legitimate owner should resolve account removal through the provider's official instructions.

Finish the physical handover

Check for removable SIM and memory cards and handle mobile-service transfer with the network provider. For a handset moving between the UK and an African country, confirm the new owner's actual network and service needs separately; a wiped device is not proof of local compatibility or an unrestricted warranty.

Leave the phone at its initial setup screen after following the official procedure, without adding your personal account again for a demonstration. Keep a non-sensitive sale record, not copies of credentials. For related checks before buying or replacing hardware, visit PING's Gadgets desk.