The Art of Letting Go: What You Need to Do Before Selling Your iPhone

The first consequential thing you need to do before selling your iPhone — or before doing anything drastic or otherwise substantial to your device, for that matter — is to back up its content. This way, you’ll have a copy of your device’s content to migrate to your new device, particularly if that new device is another iPhone.

You can back up your iPhone in two ways: with iCloud and with iTunes.

You can decide to use just one of the methods, whichever is better for you. But if you want to have an alternative backup, you’re free to use both.

Prior to selling your iPhone, you also need to disconnect it from certain Apple services. In particular, you have to sign out of iCloud and the iTunes and App Stores on the device.

If you’re switching from an iPhone to an Android or any other kind of non-Apple phone, you also have to deregister iMessage, effectively removing your phone number’s association with Apple’s messaging service. Failing to do so might result in your new phone’s inability to receive text messages sent from an iPhone — a scenario dubbed “iMessage purgatory.”

Ideally, signing out of iCloud and other Apple services on your iPhone should automatically dissociate and de-authorize the device from then on. But it is more likely that, before selling your iPhone, you’ll need to accomplish this manually, at least with regard to iCloud (for accessing various cloud storage and syncing features), iTunes in the Cloud (for downloading previously purchased content), and Apple ID (for managing trusted devices).

And now we come to the point of no return. This is the procedure in preparation to selling your iPhone that signifies that you really are ready to let go of your device. It’s the irreversible operation that erases all content and settings on your iPhone (including photos, messages, Touch ID fingerprints, Apple Pay cards, the works), effectively resetting the device’s software to factory condition.

Now that your iPhone is practically new on the inside, all that’s left to do is to make it look like new on the outside. To that end, make sure not to use any cleaning products that might damage the device, such as aerosol sprays and solvents. Just take a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth — not a potentially abrasive cleaning material like a towel or tissue paper — and use it to gently wipe the device’s surfaces clean of dirt, particularly the dirt that might have accumulated around the SIM tray opening.

Speaking of the SIM tray, remember to pop it open using the ejector tool that came with your iPhone, or a straightened paper clip, in order to remove your SIM card.

Finally, take your iPhone and its accompanying accessories (e.g. EarPods, wall charger, and USB cable) and put in in their original packaging, or in lieu of that, a decent-looking box or bag.

Now you’re all set to sell it (as on eBay), trade it in (as with Gazelle), give it away, hand it down, or otherwise bid your iPhone a fond farewell.