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

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

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, if applicable, 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 Account. 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 Account password. To save time, make sure you know your password (or 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 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, generate a two-factor authentication code on your old device if needed.

If applicable, remove your personal information from your old device

  1. If you paired an Apple Watch with your iPhone, deregister iMessage.

  2. If in-store trade-in is available in your country or region and you're trading in at an Apple Store, stop here, do not erase your device, and visit your nearest Apple Store to pick up your new device. After a Specialist completes your trade-in, they'll work through the remaining steps with you in-store. If you're completing your trade-in online, continue to step 7.

  3. 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 Account and password. If your device uses eSIM, choose the option to erase your device and the eSIM profile when asked.

  4. If asked for your device passcode or Restrictions passcode, enter it. Then tap Erase [device].

  5. 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.

  6. 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 no longer have your iPhone or iPad

If the steps above weren't completed and you no longer have your device, use these steps:

  1. Ask the new owner to erase all content and settings using the above steps.

  2. If you're using iCloud and Find My [device] on the device, sign in to iCloud.com. Choose Account Settings to see which devices are using Apple Pay, then click the device. Next to Apple Pay, click Remove.

  3. cancel your AppleCare plan.

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, memory cards, cases, and screen protectors.

Contact your device's manufacturer if you need help.

Learn more

When you tap Erase All Content and Settings, it completely erases your device, including any credit or debit cards you added for Apple Pay and any photos, contacts, music, or apps. It will also turn off iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, Game Center, and other services. Your content won't be deleted from iCloud when you erase your device.

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