How to Sell Your Phone Safely: Wipe It, Sign Out and Prove It’s Clean

Selling a phone has two risks. The first is your data: photos, messages, banking apps and saved passwords left behind for a stranger. The second is the sale itself: buyers who don’t trust you, fake payment alerts and arguments about locks after the deal.

Both are solved the same way — by preparing the phone properly and being able to prove it. A phone that’s signed out, erased and backed by a clean IMEI report sells faster and for a better price, because the buyer doesn’t have to take your word for anything.

Step 1: Back up and move what you need

• iPhone: Settings › [your name] › iCloud › iCloud Backup › Back Up Now, or back up to a Mac (Finder) or a Windows PC (Apple Devices app or iTunes).
• Android: Settings › Google › Backup (on Samsung, Settings › Accounts and backup). Make sure photos are synced in Google Photos or copied to a computer.
• Move two-factor authentication codes from apps like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator to your new phone before erasing. Losing these is the most painful mistake sellers make.
• If you use WhatsApp, back up chats in WhatsApp › Settings › Chats › Chat backup.

Step 2: Sign out and remove locks

This is the step that protects the buyer — and your sale. A phone left signed in is useless to them and will come back as a complaint.

iPhone

1. Unpair any Apple Watch first (Watch app › All Watches › info button › Unpair Apple Watch).
2. Go to Settings › [your name], scroll down and tap Sign Out. Enter your Apple ID password to turn off Find My.
3. If you’re switching to Android, deregister your number from iMessage at Apple’s official iMessage deregistration page so texts reach your new phone.

Android

1. Go to Settings › Accounts (on Samsung: Settings › Accounts and backup › Manage accounts; on Pixel: Settings › Passwords, passkeys & accounts).
2. Remove your Google account. This disables Factory Reset Protection.
3. On Samsung, also remove your Samsung account to turn off Reactivation Lock.
4. On Xiaomi, sign out of your Mi Account (Settings › Mi Account › Sign out) and confirm Find device is off.

For a deeper walk-through, read how to turn off Find My before selling.

Step 3: Erase it properly

• iPhone: Settings › General › Transfer or Reset iPhone › Erase All Content and Settings. When it finishes, you should see the “Hello” screen.
• Samsung: Settings › General management › Reset › Factory data reset.
• Pixel: Settings › System › Reset options › Erase all data (factory reset).
• Other Android: usually Settings › System › Reset options, or Settings › About phone › Factory reset.

Modern phones encrypt storage by default, so a proper factory reset makes your old data unreadable. Our guide on how to factory reset a phone properly covers the details by brand.

Finally, remove your SIM card and any microSD card, and delete any eSIM when asked during the erase. Then go to account.apple.com (iPhone) or your Google account’s device list and remove the phone from your trusted devices.

Step 4: Prove the phone is clean

Buyers are right to be cautious — they’ve heard about locked and blacklisted phones. Make their decision easy by sharing proof in the listing:

1. Dial *#06# to get the IMEI.
2. Run a free All-in-one Basic Info check (or Model + Color + Storage + Find My) to show the model, capacity and Find My: OFF.
3. Run a GSMA blacklist check to show the IMEI is clean.
4. If you’re advertising it as unlocked, add a carrier + SIM-lock check. For Samsung, the Samsung Info report shows model, region and warranty.
5. Screenshot the results and add them to your listing, or send them when buyers ask.

*#06#

Your first check is free:

Listing the IMEI publicly is fine — it identifies the device, not you — but if you prefer, share it only with serious buyers.

Make your listing trustworthy

• Use your own photos taken in daylight, including the *#06# screen and Settings › Battery health.
• State the exact model, storage, color and whether it’s unlocked — the check results should say the same thing.
• Be upfront about scratches, replaced parts or a tired battery. Honest listings attract fewer arguments at the meeting.
• Mention that the phone is signed out and reset, and that the buyer can verify the IMEI on our IMEI check page.

Step 5: Take payment safely

• Bank transfer: wait until the money shows in your own banking app. Never accept a screenshot, SMS or email as proof — fake transfer alerts are the most common trick used against sellers.
• Cash: count it before handing over the phone, and meet somewhere with good lighting so you can check notes.
• Online platforms: use the platform’s own payment system and never ship before payment clears.
• Overpayment: if a buyer “accidentally” sends too much and asks for a refund, wait until the full amount clears — it’s a known scam.

Meet in a busy public place during the day, ideally with a friend. Let the buyer test the phone with their SIM, but stay with the phone at all times. More on this in our list of common used-phone scams.

Step 6: Write a receipt and finish up

A short receipt protects both of you. Include the date, phone model, IMEI, price, both names and phone numbers, and the line “sold as seen, signed out of all accounts and factory reset.” Keep a copy and the chat history.

After the sale, cancel or transfer any AppleCare or insurance plan, and update the number in your carrier account if the phone was part of a plan.

Seller’s final checklist

1. Backed up, including authenticator apps and chats.
2. Signed out of Apple ID / Google / Samsung / Mi accounts.
3. Find My and Find My Device off.
4. Erased to the setup screen; SIM and memory card removed.
5. Removed from your account’s device list.
6. Clean IMEI report ready to share.
7. Payment confirmed in your own account before handover.