Dispose of your iPhone securely

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad

Since iPhones are by default encrypted, the built in process of factory resetting- or “Erase all Content and Settings” reliably makes any previous information on the device removed.

An iPad and an iPhone showing the items that are removed if you erase your device

Before you sell, give away, or trade in your device, you should first transfer information to your new device, then remove your personal information from your old device.

You shouldn’t manually delete your contacts, calendars, reminders, documents, photos, or any other iCloud information while you’re signed in to iCloud with your Apple ID. This would delete your content from the iCloud servers and any of your devices signed in to iCloud.

If you still have your old iPhone or iPad

If you’re trading in your iPhone at an Apple Store, you might need your Apple ID password. To save time, make sure you know your password (or reset it to a password you know) before you come to the store.

If you have Stolen Device Protection enabled on your iPhone, changing your password at the store is likely to have a one hour security delay.

Follow these steps to transfer information to your new device and, if applicable, remove your personal information from your old device.

Transfer information to your new device

If you have a new iPhone or iPad, you can use Quick Start to automatically transfer information from your old device to your new device if you’re using iOS 11 or later. Use iCloud, iTunes, or the Finder to transfer information to your new device if you’re using iOS 10 or earlier.

If your phone number will change with your new device, add additional trusted phone numbers to your account to ensure you don’t lose access. If you no longer have access to your old phone number, you can generate a two-factor authentication code on your old device if needed.

If applicable, remove your personal information from your old device

If you paired an Apple Watch with your iPhone, unpair your Apple Watch.
Back up your device.
If you purchased an AppleCare plan for your device, cancel your AppleCare plan.
Sign out of iCloud and the iTunes & App Store.
If you’re using iOS 10.3 or later, tap Settings > [your name]. Scroll down and tap Sign Out. Enter your Apple ID password and tap Turn Off.
If you’re using iOS 10.2 or earlier, tap Settings > iCloud > Sign Out. Tap Sign Out again, then tap Delete from My [device] and enter your Apple ID password. Then go to Settings > iTunes & App Store > Apple ID > Sign Out.
If you’re switching to a non-Apple phone, deregister iMessage.
Go back to Settings and tap General > Transfer or Reset [device] > Erase All Content and Settings. If you turned on Find My [device], you might need to enter your Apple ID and password. If your device uses eSIM, choose the option to erase your device and the eSIM profile when asked.
If asked for your device passcode or Restrictions passcode, enter it. Then tap Erase [device].
Contact your carrier for help transferring service to a new owner. If you aren’t using a SIM card with your device, you can contact them to get help transferring service to the new owner.
Remove your old device from your list of trusted devices.
When you erase your iPhone or iPad, Find My [device] and Activation Lock are turned off.

If you’re trading in an Android device to Apple

Before you send in an Android device to Apple as a trade-in, be sure to do the following:

Back up your data.
Erase the device.
Remove any SIM cards or memory cards