By Claire Calvet Updated 14 min read
How To Delete Personal Data On Your Phone – ecoATM

How To Delete Personal Data On Your Phone – ecoATM

Maybe you’re selling your old device, or you don’t like the idea of your personal information floating around in someone else’s hands. Maybe you’ve harnessed your inner Marie Kondo and just want to spark a little joy - and a little speed - back into your Apple or Samsung phone.

Whatever the reason, you have the power to wipe personal data off your phone and clean the data stored within apps in just a few steps.

For Apple and Android users, this data deletion process is different. We include tutorials below so you can safely and permanently delete data stored on your phone and in your apps, lending you security that wherever this device may end up - if it’s passed along to a friend, traded in at one of ecoATM’s 7,000+ kiosks nationwide, or sold elsewhere - your personal information won’t tag along.

Why Delete Your Phone’s Data?

There are a lot of scenarios that might cause you to permanently delete data on your Android or iPhone, picking a process more thorough than a factory reset:

Note: Remember that a standard factory reset doesn’t erase everything - SIM cards and microSD cards are not wiped during the process and have to be removed or cleared separately. The full process for deleting data on your smartphone also changes depending on your carrier, device manufacturer, and linked services. Continue reading to learn how to wipe your phone - completely and permanently - regardless of phone and plan type.

Best Practices Before Wiping Your Phone

Make sure to take care of these steps before sitting down to delete personal data:

  • Remove the SIM card. Your phone’s SIM card is home base for all personal data on that mobile device. It carries a unique identification number (IMEI) related to and managing only your data while also connecting your device to your carrier network. If removed, your smartphone will no longer be able to perform carrier-related functions, from making phone calls and sending texts to connecting to cellular data. Importantly, SIM cards are not erased during a factory reset, so physically removing it before wiping your phone is a critical step.
  • Remove the microSD card. Similar to the SIM card but not carrier-specific, the microSD is a type of flash memory. This tiny chip is responsible for storing vast quantities of your cell phone’s data like music, photos, videos, and apps. Like your SIM card, a factory reset will not automatically wipe your microSD card, so be sure to remove it beforehand to keep your stored files out of the wrong hands.
  • Back up your data. You’ll likely want to keep data such as your contact list when selling or trading in your phone, just in case something goes wrong with your new device’s import. If you’re running Android 8.1 or later, text messages and phone logs will back up automatically. For everything else, use any one of these Android or iPhone backup techniques to save and store the data you need later. Pick whatever method is intuitive and convenient for you, whether it’s saving to the cloud or exporting to a USB drive.
  • Log out of all apps. Seriously, log out of all of them - Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Venmo, email, mobile banking, you name it. Logging out seems rudimentary, but it’s one of the simple steps people most often overlook.
  • Clear the data from your linked service apps. If possible, wipe your personal data from the same apps you just signed out of. More on how to clear individual app data is provided below. Before you do, make sure you know how to move authenticator apps so you don’t lose access to secured accounts.
  • Save the device’s serial number, or IMEI. This is a general best practice for your own documentation and peace of mind - learn more about how to find your IMEI number if you’re unsure where to look. It’s also worth noting that devices that power on earn an average of $50 more at an ecoATM kiosk, so keeping track of your device’s condition and functionality can pay off when it comes time to trade in.

How to Delete Personal Data From an iPhone 

Apple’s iPhones have standard hardware encryption in iOS 5 or later. You’re likely already familiar with its day-to-day form, which is the standard passcode used to unlock your phone. This built-in protective feature gives the foundation for how to wipe your iPhone before selling it. Once you follow the steps below, your typed passcode will disappear, rendering it unlikely for anyone (like yourself) to access and restore the phone’s user data.

Step One: Prepare Your iPhone for Reset 

  • Turn off Find My iPhone: Go to Settings > Your Name > Find My > Find My iPhone, then toggle it off. You’ll need to enter your Apple ID password to confirm.
  • Sign out of the App Store: Head to Settings > Your Name, scroll to the bottom, and tap Sign Out.
  • Turn off iMessage: Go to Settings > Messages > switch off the iMessage option. 
  • Sign out of linked app services: If you haven’t already, sign out of any linked service applications on your iPhone, such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and similar apps. 

Step Two: Log Out of iCloud 

  • How to log out of iCloud: Go to Settings > Your Name, then scroll down and tap Sign Out. Enter your Apple ID password when prompted, and tap Turn Off to disable Find My iPhone if you haven’t already done so in Step One. Choose which data you’d like to keep a copy of on your device, then tap Sign Out to confirm.

Step Three: Initiate Clearing Your iPhone Data 

  • How to permanently delete iPhone data: Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. On newer versions of iOS, this will launch the Erase Assistant to walk you through the process. Enter your passcode when prompted, and your Apple ID password as a final security measure before confirming.

Note: Before confirming your iPhone reset, make sure that you have followed all parts of Step One and Step Two and reviewed the tips in “Best Practices Before Wiping Your Phone.” Most importantly, remove your SIM card and back up your data before signing out of iCloud. Unlike Android devices, standard iPhones don’t use microSD cards, so this is not a concern. Wiping your phone without first signing out of iCloud can trigger Activation Lock, which prevents anyone from activating the device without your Apple ID credentials - making the phone far less helpful to a buyer. And because you’ve wiped your phone, your passcode encryption is also gone, rendering more access to your personal data very unlikely.

Step Four: Disconnect Your Apple Account Profile From the Device’s Serial Number 

This is the final step for scrubbing ownership and disconnecting your information from the device. Remove your account information following the directions on Apple’s ID platform.

Congratulations! You’re now the proud, past-life user of this iPhone!

How to Delete Personal Data From an Android

For data-deletion purposes, there are two groups of Android OS to know: Android Lollipop 5.0 or later, or any of the earlier Android OS versions. You’ll experience one difference in how to wipe data from your Android depending on your OS.

If you have Android Lollipop 5.0 or later, you have to first disable factory reset protection (FRP) - this feature was added to the Android OS as an extra security layer in the event your phone is stolen, preventing the thief from being able to wipe and/or sell the device themselves. The FRP setting is going to require users to submit the username and password connected with the phone’s last registered user - in this case, you - before any of these resets can be performed.

  • How to disable factory reset protection (Android Lollipop 5.0 or later ONLY): For Samsung Galaxy devices, go to Settings > Lock Screen & Security > Screen Lock Type, then toggle to None. For Google Pixel phones, go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Screen Lock and select None.

Once FRP is disabled, you can move on to the general steps to permanently wipe your Android. One important note to start: SIM cards and microSD cards are not erased during a factory reset, so be sure to physically remove those from your device before passing it on.

Step One: Sign Out of Linked Accounts 

  • Make sure you’ve manually signed out of all linked applications, such as Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and any other apps tied to personal accounts. This step is important regardless of what kind of phone or OS you have.

Step Two: Disable Screen Locks 

  • On all Android devices, go to Settings > Security or Lock Screen & Security > Screen Lock, then toggle to None.

Step Three: Disconnect Your Google Account 

Step Four: Disconnect Your Samsung Account (Samsung Galaxy Devices ONLY) 

  • How to remove your Samsung account: Go to Settings > Accounts and Backup > Manage Accounts > Samsung Account, then select Remove Account. You may be prompted to enter your Samsung account password to confirm.

Step Five: Encrypt Your Data 

Remember that most modern Android devices (Android 6.0 and later) are encrypted by default. But it’s worth verifying before you proceed.

  • For Samsung Galaxy devices: Go to Settings > Biometrics and Security > Encrypt or Decrypt Phone
  • For Google Pixel: Head to Settings > Security & Privacy > Encryption & Credentials

Note: Depending on how much data is stored on your Android, encryption could take a few hours. Make sure your phone is charged or connected to a charger throughout this step.

Step Six: Perform the Android Data Wipe 

  • How to factory reset an Android: For a Samsung Galaxy, go to Settings > General Management > Reset > Factory Data Reset, then select Reset. For Google Pixel devices, go to Settings > System > Reset Options > Erase All Data (Factory Reset), then tap Erase All Data to confirm.

Well done! You’ve successfully deleted your personal data from your Android and encrypted your information to protect against any recovery attempts by hackers or bad actors. Just remember to remove your SIM card and any microSD card before handing the device off - those aren’t touched by the factory reset process.

How Do Carriers Come Into Play? 

There are a few extra steps to consider when selling or trading in your smartphone. Cell phone carriers - Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and others - will affect: 

1. SIM Cards 

SIM cards are tied to your carrier and are not erased during a factory reset, so it matters to remove yours before selling or trading in your device. Think of them as the heart of your phone, pumping life into all its communication functions. Things like calling, texting and app use via your data plan won’t work once the SIM card is removed, basically because it’s your SIM card that gives you access to your carrier.

Generally you’ll remove your SIM card when selling or trading in your smartphone - especially if you’re keeping your service contract with the same carrier. If you do include the SIM card in your sale, make sure it’s been preemptively cleared first. Keep your phone number after selling by transferring it to your new device before you hand anything over.

2. SD Cards 

Remove any microSD cards you might have installed into your smartphone as well. Like SIM cards, microSD cards are not erased during a factory reset. These small chips likely increased your phone’s data storage capacity and tend to show up more in Android devices. Most people keep their SD cards, transferring them to their new phone or another device. 

3. Carrier Contracts 

Always contact your carrier prior to your sale to have them remove the device from your customer account. In some cases they can then “unlock” that device for you, which means the future owner will be able to install their own SIM card regardless of whatever carrier they’re with. Don’t be disheartened if your carrier doesn’t unlock it, though. There are a number of respected third-party businesses and websites that can perform unlocking services.

If you plan on keeping the same carrier, you don’t need to do anything more. If you’re making the switch to a new carrier you’ll need to start the steps of terminating your contract. Remember that carriers now give you device trade-in promotions when you switch, so it’s worth comparing carrier trade-in offers before selling your phone independently.

Deleting Data From Phone Apps 

Is your phone or tablet running slowly? Are programs not loading, glitches always striking and your battery life seemingly shrinking every day?

Fear not! You can use data or cache clearing to lighten the load of your apps. In doing so, you’ll probably cut back on - if not remove - problematic junk files or outdated data clogging memory and slowing your device.

Finding and deleting in-app data can vary depending on which app you’re attempting to clear. Whether you’re on an Android or iPhone, follow these general steps if you basically want to clear out some old data from apps instead of factory resetting your entire device: 

  • Clearing data/caches on iPhones: Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Review your app list, which is sorted by size, and identify which apps are taking up the most space. You can offload an app to free up storage while keeping its data, or tap Delete App to remove it entirely, then re-install it from the App Store for a fresh, cache-free start.
  • Clearing data/caches on Androids: Go to Settings > Apps (or App Management, depending on your device). Select an app individually to access its info page and view current storage and data usage. Once inside, tap “Storage,” then select “Clear Cache” to remove temporary files or “Clear Data” to do a more thorough wipe of that app’s stored information.

Bonus tip: Any app taking up more than 500MB of data should top the list of apps to delete and re-install. Remember that if you’re clearing data on a device running Android 8.1 or later, your text messages and call logs are automatically backed up, so you won’t lose that information during the process.  

Interested in Selling Your Old Phone Now That You’ve Protected Your Personal Data?

Take the stress out of trading in your old iPhone or Android by working with one of the nation’s leading reCommerce businesses specializing in buying and selling consumer electronics.

When you sell your iPhone or Android with ecoATM, we promise a:

  • Secure, transparent transaction environment for phone sellers via our network of over 7,000 ecoATM kiosks nationwide.
  • A fair estimate for your phone based on its model and condition - and remember, devices that power on earn on average $50 more at our kiosks.
  • Cash dispensed on the spot immediately after finishing the sale.

With roughly 120 million devices currently in the trade-in market and the average phone exchanged around the 3-year mark, there’s never been a better time to turn your old device into instant cash. Please remember that you have to be 18 years or older to sell to ecoATM.

Explore how selling your data-cleared phone works with us and feel free to contact us with any questions.

*The data wipe instructions and best practices described here are provided for informational purposes only. ecoATM makes no representations or warranties about the effectiveness of taking these steps. ecoATM & Gazelle are not connected with the device manufacturers referenced.

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