So, you’ve bought a spanking new smartphone and are wondering what to do with your old one? The data on your old mobile device could, if it falls into the wrong hands, give criminals the lowdown on everything from your recent banking transactions, to your family pictures, to your email and IM history. There’s a possibility that you might want to sell, trade, or maybe even give away your old device. But any of those options is a risky proposition if you don’t first erase your phone so completely that even the best and the brightest computer forensics sleuths won’t be able to find and dig it up again.But how do you go about completely erasing your phone, specifically an Android smartphone? You can bet it will take a systematic, step-by-step approach. Now, it’s important to remember that there are all sorts of Android phones out there, and so the instructions will differ slightly depending on which one you’re using. This guide will specifically focus on the Samsung Galaxy.
If your Factory Reset Protection (FRP) is enabled, you'll want to disable it. The feature is designed to protect your smartphone so that criminals can't steal it, erase it, and then potentially sell it to the unsuspecting public. Before you erase your phone, therefore, disable the FRP.
Encryption is important. The good news is that if your phone has Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later, it will automatically be encrypted, which means that you can skip this step and go onto the next one. If your phone does not have Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later, read on: The process for doing so is similar across different Android phones. For the Samsung Galaxy, however, you need to go to Settings, go to Lock screen and security, and go to Protect encrypted data. You will also be able to encrypt the device's SD card, but it's best to simply take out the card should you plan to sell, trade, or give away your old Android smartphone.
Before doing the factory reset, make sure that you've backed up the contents of your old smartphone -- that is, if you want anything from your old mobile device. The reason this is important that a factory reset, after finishing up the previous steps, will completely wipe clean your old smartphone. For the Samsung Galaxy, head over Settings, go to General Management, head to Reset, go to Factory data reset, and then tap on Reset device. For the majority of Android phones that are not named Samsung Galaxy, you would need to head to Settings, go to Backup and reset, go to Factory data reset, and then tap on Reset device or reset phone.After you've completed these steps, your old Android smartphone will be completely erased. This means that you will be able to safely sell, trade, or give away the mobile device without fear of having someone access any of the data that had been on it previously.
