Another hidden trick is planning for the day this phone is no longer yours. The FTC recommends backing up information before trading in, selling, or donating a phone; removing SIM and SD cards when relevant; unlinking accounts connected to the device; and restoring the phone to factory settings to erase personal information FTC. This is not only for major upgrades. It also matters if you lend, repair, recycle, or hand down a device.
Before resetting, confirm that your backup is complete and that you can sign in to essential accounts from another device. If you use an authenticator app, move it carefully so you do not lock yourself out. Then remove payment cards, disable tracking only after the transfer is complete, sign out of accounts, and perform the reset from the phone settings. Keep the device powered until the reset finishes.
Worth Checking
Menu names differ across iPhone, Android, and individual phone brands. If a step is hard to find, use the settings search box and try the feature name rather than following a menu path word for word.
A Simple 20-Minute Smartphone Tuneup
