How to prepare a phone or laptop for sale
Selling a used phone or laptop quickly and at a good price comes down to two things: the buyer trusts its condition, and the device is clean and free of your accounts. This guide walks through every step, from backing up to handing it over.
1. Back up and move your data
- iPhone: back up to iCloud or use Quick Start to transfer straight to your new phone.
- Android: back up to Google; Samsung phones can use Smart Switch.
- Laptop: copy your files to an external drive or the cloud; on a Mac, use Time Machine.
- Don't forget photos, WhatsApp or other chat history, two-factor authenticator apps (Google Authenticator…) and recovery codes for important accounts.
2. Test the device and save a report
Buyers increasingly test a device before paying. Doing it yourself first helps you price it right, and lets you send buyers a report they can check remotely:
- Run the tests on soimay.com, then on the Results page tap Create link & QR code or Save PDF.
- Put the report link in your listing, or send it when someone asks. Buyers open it and see a Pass or Fail for each item.
- State any faults in the listing. Being upfront sells faster than letting the buyer find them and haggle.
Also screenshot the battery health (iPhone: Settings › Battery › Battery Health; Samsung: Samsung Members) and the About page showing capacity and model. More in how to check battery health.
3. Remove accounts and locks (the big one)
If your account is still on the device, the buyer can't use it after a factory reset and will come back to you.
- iPhone, iPad: Settings › [your name] › Sign Out, entering your Apple Account password to turn off Find My. Then Settings › General › Transfer or Reset iPhone › Erase All Content and Settings.
- Android: remove your Google account (and Samsung account on a Samsung) in Settings › Accounts before the factory reset. Doing it the other way round leaves the phone FRP-locked.
- Windows: sign out of your Microsoft account, then Settings › System › Recovery › Reset this PC › Remove everything, choosing to clean the drive. Remove any BIOS password.
- MacBook: sign out of your Apple Account (turning off Find My Mac), then use Erase All Content and Settings in System Settings › General › Transfer or Reset.
- Switching from iPhone to Android: turn off iMessage and FaceTime before removing the SIM, so messages don't get stuck.
4. Services tied to the device
- Apple Watch, AirPods: unpair them and remove them from Find My; if they're part of the sale, do the same.
- Bank cards in Apple Pay, Google Wallet or Samsung Wallet: remove them all (a reset clears them too, but do it first to be sure).
- eSIM: delete it from the device, and contact your carrier if your number needs to move to a new phone.
- Remove the device from your account's device list at appleid.apple.com or myaccount.google.com, under Devices.
5. Cleaning and accessories
- Clean the screen, charging port, speaker grilles and SIM slot. A dusty port makes charging flaky and buyers may think it's faulty.
- Gather the box, cable, charger, SIM tool and receipt. A box and receipt usually mean a better price and a more confident buyer.
- Take out your SIM and memory card.
6. At the handover
- Let the buyer test it themselves with soimay.com on the device (nothing to install), or let them scan the QR code of your report.
- Show the buyer the IMEI (dial *#06#) matching the box and receipt.
- Hand the device over only once you've been paid in full; for a bank transfer, check the money has actually arrived rather than trusting a screenshot.
Summary
Back up, test and save a report, remove your accounts, factory reset, gather the accessories. Do these and the device sells faster, at the right price, with no buyer coming back to complain.