Here's how to securely wipe your Android smartphone for resale



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Have you found a new Android smartphone that you want to buy? Here are the steps to safely erase data from your existing smartphone before using it.

  1. Back up all your data because once he's gone, he's gone. There is no undo button on which you can press. No "oh … wait …" No, not erased.
  2. Then connect the charger to the device so that the removal process is powered, as this can be time consuming. Or at least make sure it's fully charged.
  3. If you are using Android 5.0 "Lollipop" or later, you must use the protection feature against the factory resets Android. This is designed to prevent thieves (or prankers) from wiping your smartphone. First, you must remove the screen lock. The first step of a standard Android installation is to access settings > Security and location > Screen lock and select No. On the Samsung Galaxy hardware, you go to settings > Lock screen and security > Type of screen lock and select No.
  4. The next step is to delete your Google Account (or accounts if you have more than one). In stock on Android, go to settings > Accounts > Google and choose Delete account. On the Samsung Galaxy hardware, it's a little different: settings > Cloud and accounts > Accounts and then choose Google, then finally select Delete account.
  5. One last step on Samsung Galaxy smartphones is to remove the Samsung account. To do this, go to settings > Lock screen and security > Find my mobile. From there, enter your password, tap your account, and choose More > Delete account.
  6. Go to settings > security > Encrypt the phone to start the process. On Samsung Galaxy hardware, go to settings > Lock screen and security > Protect encrypted data.
  7. You will be guided throughout the process. Set a strong password. Do not bother with encrypting the SD card because you can extract it and keep it rather than erase it. This process can be time consuming, so be patient and make sure you have the time.
  8. Finally, it's time to reset the equipment in the factory. In Stock Android you do this by going to settings > Backup reset > Reset factory data and select Reset phone.
  9. Once this process is complete, your data is gone. Technically, it is still written on flash memory in what is now reported as free space, and will eventually be overwritten. Because it's encrypted, recovering it would be extremely difficult. However, if you want to eradicate it completely, go to the next step.
  10. The best way to delete encrypted data is to overwrite it with new data. You can do it in two ways. You can load large files on the device (large video files are great for this) until storage is full, then delete those files, or you can use a custom application such as iShredder to "shred" numerically the data.

That's all! Your data has now disappeared and you can transfer the smartphone or tablet safely.

Must read: 10 Apple products not to buy (March 2019 edition)

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