How to Completely Erase Android Phone before Selling It [Two Proven Ways]

Before selling your old Android phone, erasing your phone is a necessary thing because it can prevent your personal information from exposure. Today, this post is going to display 2 practical approaches for you to erase your Android phone before selling. With them, your private files will not be divulged any more.

Tips: Can the factory reset wipe the data on the Android phone completely?

If you want to wipe your Android phone with the factory reset before selling it, you’d better know that factory reset can’t delete the files thoroughly. In fact, the deleted files are still on your Android phone but you can’t see them. Thus, it is possible that your deleted files would be recovered via a recovery app.

How to Erase Android Phone before Selling [Safely & Permanently]

MobiKin Eraser for Android is a professional eraser for Android device. It can erase the existing and deleted data permanently, so you needn’t worry that your data will be recovered by some recovery apps.

Main features of MobiKin Eraser for Android:

• It not only supports to delete text messages from Android permanently, but also erase your contacts, call logs, photos, music, videos, apps, and app data, books, system settings, and more;
• Erase all kinds of data history on the Android phone, such as browsing history, transaction records, accounts, passwords, and so on;
• Three security level you can choose on the app before erasing;
• You can connect your Android phone to the computer via Wi-Fi and a USB cable freely, but using the USB cable is more stable;
• With the user-friendly interfaces, it is easy to use and you can finish the erasing task within 3 steps;
• High compatibility with most of Android phones.

Notes: It works with almost all brands of Android phone, as long as its OS is Android 2.1 or higher, including Samsung Galaxy S20/S10/S9/S8/S7, Huawei P30 Pro/P30/P20 Pro/P20/P Smart+, HTC U12 Life/U12+/U11 Life/U11 Eyes/U11/U19e/ U Ultra, Xiaomi 10/9 /9 Lite/9T Pro/9T/9 SE/8 /8 Lite, Sony Xperia 1/Xperia 1 II/Xperia L1/Xperia L2/Xperia L3/Xperia L4, Google, OnePlus, LG, Motorola, etc.

3 steps on how to erase Android phone before selling: 

1. Download MobiKin Eraser for Android and Connect

At first, download and install this Android eraser app on the computer. Then launch it directly and connect your Android device to the computer with a USB cable. Now, enable USB debugging on the Android phone. The program will recognize your phone at once.

2. Select a Security Level

Next, tap on the “Erase” button on the screen.

Then click the “Medium” icon beside the “Security Level” sign. On the interface, you need to select one security level and then hit on the “OK” for confirmation.

3. Erase Android Data

Thirdly, please input the “delete” word in the blank, and then click the “Erase” icon on the lower right. If prompted, you need to tap on the “OK” button on the computer and the “Yes” on the phone to make sure that you are ready to erase the Android device.

Finally, the app will scan the data on the Android phone and erase all of it permanently.

How to Wipe Your Android Phone before Selling [Complicated]

If you don’t want to use a professional app to erase your Android phone before selling, you still have another way to wipe all the data from your Android device: wiping the Android phone manually. However, this way is a little complicated than the previous one.

1. Deactivate Lock Screen

Above all, go to the Settings app and find the “Lock Screen Security” icon, and turn off the screen lock on it.

2. Log Out All the Accounts

Log out all the accounts on your Android phone, such as Google Drive, Gmail, and more. And go to the Settings app for removing the accounts.

3. Delete the Passwords

Please delete the passwords which are saved on your applications one by one.

4. Take Out SIM Card and SD Card

Take out the SIM card and SD card from your old Android phone.

5. Encrypt Android Device

Then enter the Settings app again and tap on the “Security” option. Then click the “Encrypt phone” icon. The encryption process will mess your data up, and the new owner cannot restore the data.

6. Do Factory Reset and Upload the Junk Data

Now, you can do the factory reset on the Settings app. After that, please upload the junk data on your Android phone to fill the storage space on the phone, for it can overwrite your deleted personal data.

7. Perform Another Factory Reset

Once filled the Android phone, perform the factory reset again, which confirms your important data can’t be retrieved any longer. Now, you wipe your Android phone out and you can sell it.

Conclusion

Compared with these 2 ways above, it is much easier to use a professional erasing app to erase the data on the Android phone than to wipe the phone out on your own. Obviously, MobiKin Eraser for Android is a better choice for you. Anyway, we hope this post will be useful to you.