How to Wipe Your Device Before Selling
Two reasons to do this properly: your data, and your money. A device that arrives still signed in to an account cannot be resold, so the buyer will hold payment until it is released. Wiping takes five minutes and removes both problems.
Before anything else: back up
Back up to iCloud, Google One or your computer, then confirm the backup finished. Move any two-factor authenticator apps to your new device first — they don’t restore from backup. Remove the SIM card (or transfer your eSIM) and any memory card.
iPhone and iPad
Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Erase All Content and Settings. This signs you out of iCloud, turns off Find My and Activation Lock, and erases the device in one step. If you no longer have the device, remove it from your account at icloud.com/find instead. Do not just delete apps or sign out of the App Store — Activation Lock stays on until Find My is off.
Apple Watch
Keep the watch near your phone. In the Watch app → All Watches → (i) → Unpair Apple Watch. Unpairing removes Activation Lock and erases the watch. Erasing from the watch itself does not remove the lock.
Android phones and tablets (Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus)
First remove the Google account: Settings → Accounts → your account → Remove (Samsung: also remove your Samsung account and turn off Find My Mobile). Then Settings → System → Reset → Erase all data. Removing the account first is what turns off Factory Reset Protection; resetting with the account still on leaves the device locked to you.
PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck
PlayStation: Settings → Users and Accounts → deactivate as primary console, then Settings → System → Reset. Xbox: Settings → System → Console info → Reset console → remove everything. Switch: System Settings → Users → unlink the Nintendo Account, then System → Formatting Options → Initialize Console. Steam Deck: Settings → System → Factory Reset. Remove any SD card first.
Cameras, headphones, VR headsets
GoPro: remove the SD card, then Preferences → Reset → Factory Reset, and remove the camera from your GoPro account. AirPods Max / headphones: forget them from every device they are paired to and hold the reset control until the light flashes. Meta Quest / Vision Pro: factory reset from settings and remove the headset from your account; a headset still on an account will stall at inspection.
Before it goes in the box
| Check | How to confirm |
|---|---|
| Account removed | The device boots to the first-run setup screen, not a lock screen or “This device belongs to” message. |
| Find My / Activation Lock off | The device no longer appears in icloud.com/find or Google’s Find My Device. |
| SIM and cards out | Physically removed; eSIM transferred or deleted. |
| Paid off | Your carrier confirms no balance and the IMEI is clean. |