Getting a new Android phone is always a fun experience. You can’t wait to try out the device’s powerful chipset or the generative AI features it houses. But before you have fun with your purchase, I strongly recommend that you erase all personal data from the old phone.
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Bad actors are always lurking, waiting for someone to get careless online and steal hordes of sensitive information. Home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, names and more can easily fall into the wrong hands. You must therefore take the necessary measures to protect yourself.
Although third-party tools are available to help you protect or remove your data from the Internet, if you want to take matters into your own hands – and know exactly what’s being erased in the process – I’ll show you one instead. an easy way to clean your phone. Before doing anything, you must first unlock your phone and complete several important steps.
1. Prepare for cleaning
It goes without saying, but backing up your personal data is extremely important because it protects your files from accidental deletion, malware attacks, or even theft. After saving your information, you can restore the data to your new phone without having to start from the beginning. This is a great time-saving tool.
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Android manufacturers have their own methods of backing up user data, so I encourage you to research them if you want alternatives, but the process I’m going to explain uses Google’s servers, which is a universal method and will work on n any Android phone or tablet. .
First, launch the Settings app on your device. Scroll down until you find the Google section. Tap on it and select Manage Backup in the next window. To finish everything, tap Back Up Now. This process may take several minutes – it depends on how much data you are saving to the cloud.
If you save more than your account can hold, Google will ask you to upgrade your storage plan. Local backup on a SSD is another great (and affordable) way to back up your data.
2. Delete your Google account
Now it’s time to disconnect your Google account from your old smartphone. Cutting off access ensures that saved data will no longer appear on the device in the future. To do this, go to the Security section of your Google account page — it’s on the left side of the page — then scroll down to Your Device, where you’ll see a brief list of all connected devices.
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Click Manage all devices. Find your old smartphone, select the entry and click the Disconnect button. Don’t worry if you have third-party accounts registered on your Android phone, such as gaming platforms and restaurant apps. Once you do a factory reset, they will all be erased.
3. Factory Reset Your Phone (Properly)
Factory resetting a smartphone is the most effective way to erase all data from a phone’s storage space in one go. The method of wiping a phone’s drive is essentially the same among Android phones; You will need to go to your device’s Settings app and locate its data reset option.
This process differs slightly from brand to brand as each smartphone manufacturer has the factory reset setting placed in different places. I recommend you to search for the unique method for your smartphone on the company’s official support page. To save you some trouble, here are some examples from some major Android brands to give you an idea of what to look for.
The image above shows the deletion process on a OnePlus smartphone. On a OnePlus device, go to System Settings, which is located under the Settings app. Scroll down, then tap Backup & Reset. Tap Reset phone, then Erase all data on the next page. Enter your credentials on the next page to begin the process.
On a Samsung Galaxy phone, open the Settings menu and tap General management. Scroll down to Reset, then select Reset Factor Data. The Galaxy device will display a list of all the information that will be erased from the drive. Once ready, tap Reset, enter your credentials if it asks, and tap Delete All.
As with the backup method, erasing a storage drive may take some time. The duration depends on how much you have saved on the device. Rest assured, once the process is fully completed, you will end up with a phone on which no trace of your personal data remains.
