How to Prepare an iPhone for Sale: A Step-By-Step Guide

Anticipation is building as Apple users get ready for the upcoming, long-awaited iPhone 12. People are speculating about its next-generation, high-quality specifications. This only makes everyone excited and curious about its arrival on the market. 

And it seems the only way you won’t miss out on the wonderful new features of the iPhone 12 is to buy them. 

You don’t need two smartphones anyway so you can sell your old one. But doing that as-is without any preparation will prove problematic down the road. Here are the top 6 tips on how to prepare an iPhone for sale and why you should do it.

1. Create Backups 

When you learn how to prepare an iPhone for sale, you have to familiarize yourself with backups. You don’t want to regret losing some important files while you’re getting used to your new smartphone! Before it’s too late, this is your chance to sort through all your folders to keep data you want to preserve. 

You could utilize an external hard drive for safekeeping. Alternatively, take advantage of free cloud storage accounts online such as your iCloud.

To do that, make sure you have a good internet connection to prevent upload failures. Go to Settings and select your Apple ID account. Open the iCloud tab, turn iCloud Backup on, click the Back Up Now, and wait for it to load. 

2. Log Out on All Your Accounts

You won’t be needing your accounts on your old phone anyway, so it’s time to log them out. It could spell trouble if the new owner of your phone can get access to your accounts. 

A great way to keep track of everything is to write down all your emails and their passwords. For your safety, jot it down somewhere only you have access.

Keep your passwords secure by writing them in a physical place. Avoid note apps as there are a few privacy risks at play. 

3. Unpairing Apple Watch and Air Pods

Follow these steps to unpair your Apple Watch:

Go to the home screen and select the Watch application. Find the My Watch tab at the lower-left part of the screen. Click that and the Apple Watch account (with your name on it) at the top. 

You could see the list of devices paired with the application in this step. 

Find the one you’re going to say goodbye to and tap the ‘I’ sign on the right side. Press the Unpair Apple Watch button and confirm that you are unpairing with the device.  A pop-up will appear for further verification then you’re done!

For Air Pods, go to your Settings and select Bluetooth before clicking on the ‘i’ sign. Tap Forget This Device and another pop-up will appear for security and confirmation purposes. Fill out your account information and you’re good to go. 

4. Erase the Contents of Your Device

Make sure you have backups of all your precious and important files inside your iPhone. Next, get all your emails, passwords, and other similar information and write them down. We’re only making sure because the next step consists of wiping all the contents in your smartphone clean. 

As a disclaimer, you should know that you won’t be able to take this back once you go through the process. 

To erase and prep an iPhone for sale, open the Settings and select the General tab. On the lowest part, click on Reset followed by Erase All Content and Settings. You will receive a warning, if you’ve already had a backup then you can tap Erase Now. 

After entering your passcode, confirm your choice by selecting Erase iPhone. This will start the set-up process which you first saw when you bought your iPhone. 

5. Check the Physical Condition of Your iPhone

Before selling, make sure your iPhone is clean and has no dents and cracks along the edges and/or at the back. The appearance and condition of your phone can increase and decrease its value. 

Clean and disinfect your iPhone thoroughly first. The general cleaning advice is to use a microfiber towel, 70 % of isopropyl alcohol, and ammonia-free wipes. Do not clean it with household cleaning agents because these can scratch the surface glass. 

Stay away from compressed air because of the chemicals and temperatures it lets out. If you can afford it, consider investing in minor repairs and fixes. You are more likely to get a better deal with a newer, better-looking phone. 

6. Where to Sell an iPhone?

Recheck all the steps to ensure that you won’t have any security and privacy issues in the long run because of some careless mistakes. If you want to get the most out of selling an iPhone, you have to do this much at least.

Now we got that out of the way, you are ready to sell it anytime you want! 

You can go to your local electronics stores or to a market near you. There’s an increase in the online demand for quality iPhone smartphones due to the pandemic. Beware of scammers who charge you, so it’s better to take it straight to an actual store that offers trade-in services. 

Other than the iPhone, do you have anything else you want to sell? How about your old PS4 you might not be using as much as lately? Take a look at this article that tackles about how and where to sell a PS4 to get the most money. 

Now You Know How to Prepare an iPhone for Sale

Learning how to prepare an iPhone for sale isn’t difficult as long as you follow these tips! With the right research and preparation, you’ll be able to make a sale in no time. Now go get your money’s worth without problems. 

Do you want to start selling an iPhone right now? We at, Recharge Electronics, are more than happy to buy it from you! We offer the best trade-in cash value if you want to exchange your old one for a newer smartphone. 

If you have any inquiries, please don’t hesitate to talk or contact us today!