An old phone or laptop sold as scrap can still contain your photos, WhatsApp chats, bank apps and saved passwords. A few minutes of preparation protects you.
Phones (Android and iPhone)
- Back up photos and chats (Google Photos, WhatsApp backup, iCloud).
- Sign out of your Google account or Apple ID, and of banking and wallet apps.
- Remove the SIM card and any memory card.
- Factory reset from the phone's settings.
Laptops and computers
- Copy your files to another drive or cloud storage.
- Sign out of browsers, email and cloud accounts.
- Use the reset option that removes everything (Windows: Reset this PC, Remove everything, clean the drive).
- If the computer no longer starts, remove the hard drive or SSD and keep it, or have it destroyed.
Batteries inside devices
Laptop and phone batteries are lithium. If a battery is swollen, do not press on it and tell the buyer before the pickup. See selling old batteries safely.
Ready to sell? Check today's e-waste prices and how to sell e-waste.