When trading in your phone or tablet, you must first wipe it clean so the next owner can start fresh – but that doesn’t have to mean saying goodbye to all your personal data. Backing up your data before doing a factory reset can save your photos, messages, contacts and even your app settings.
Sound complicated? It doesn’t have to be. Modern devices have built-in tools to help you copy your data over to the cloud, a computer or an external drive in minutes. You just need to know how to use them. Discover how to back up your phone before a trade-in and restore phone data safely and securely.
Why Backing Up Matters
From favourite photos and important contacts to messages and app information, our phones and tablets hold a lot of personal data. It’s only natural to want to protect it – and backing it up does just that.
If you’re selling, trading in or giving away your old device, it’s always sensible to fully back it up before wiping or resetting it so you don’t lose anything. Having all your data in one place is also very handy when switching over to a new device.
How Do I Back Up My Phone Data Before a Trade-In
Use the cloud
Backing up your phone to the cloud saves all your data on your account, allowing you to restore photos, messages, app data and more quickly and easily on your new device.
How to back up to the cloud:
- iPhone: Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup then click Back Up Now
You can also automate your backups by toggling Back Up This iPhone in the same place. Your phone will then back up daily when it’s connected to Wi-Fi, locked and charging.
- Android (9 and up): Settings > Google > All services > Backup and restore > Backup then click Back Up Now
You can also automate your backups by toggling Back up by Google One (or a similar option) in the same location. Your phone will then back up automatically when charging, connected to Wi-Fi and idle.
Keep it local
Another way to keep your data safe is to create a local copy on your computer. Simply connect your phone via USB, enable file transfer mode and then manually copy over any files using your chosen PC or Mac software. You can also back up files onto an external drive for extra security.
Don’t forget individual apps
Some apps need to be backed up individually – including WhatsApp, social media, notes and diary apps – as they keep their data separate from your main phone backup.
Check the settings of each app and look for ‘Backup,’ ‘Export’ or ‘Save to cloud.’
How to Restore Data from a Broken Phone
If your phone still turns on:
Restoring from the cloud
When you turn on your new phone, you’ll be asked if you want to copy the data from your old one. This varies slightly between systems:
- For iPhones: choose ‘Restore from iCloud Backup,’ sign in with your Apple ID and choose the latest backup
- For Androids: sign in with your Google account (or the phone manufacturer’s cloud) and select your most recent backup
Restoring from your PC/Mac
If you’ve made a local copy of your data, simply connect your phone to your PC or Mac with a USB cable and click ‘Restore Backup’ in iTunes, Finder or the manufacturer’s software. Then choose a backup from the list and click ‘Restore.’
Check everything has transferred
Once you’re all set up, it’s important to check that your contacts, photos and other essential apps have synced up. If something’s missing – like your WhatsApp messages – open the settings on that app and restore it through there separately.
Transfer directly
If your screen or touch function isn’t working – for example, your phone screen is cracked, but you can still unlock your phone and confirm codes – you should be able to plug your phone into a computer with a USB cable to copy files over.
You can also use Bluetooth/NFC to move smaller items like contacts or photos
If the screen or system is unresponsive:
Try specialist software
If your phone still turns on, tools like Dr.Fone (Android) or iMazing (iPhone) can usually access and copy the data stored on its internal memory without you needing to unlock it
It’s important to be careful with any third-party software. Make sure you download from official sites only.
Give external media readers a go
Some Android phones allow you to remove the microSD card and use a card reader to recover data.
If your phone won’t turn on, is very damaged or has a soldered storage chip, it’s worth seeking the help of a certified data-recovery service. However, they can be expensive, and there’s no guarantee they will be able to recover your data.
Extra Security Steps Before Trading In
- Make sure you sign out of everywhere, including your cloud, email and social media, to keep your accounts protected
- Do a factory reset after you’ve backed up your data by going into your settings to wipe your personal data and restore your phone for its next owner
- Remove your SIM card and memory card before you pass on your device
Conclusion
Follow these steps to keep your data safe and make the backup process stress-free.