Prepare Your Phone
How to prepare your Android phone for sale
Two things before you come in: take your accounts off the phone, then factory reset it. Screen-by-screen guides below for Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel.
Selling an iPhone instead? iPhone guide here.
Before anything: back up
Samsung: Settings → Accounts and backup → Back up data. Pixel: Settings → System → Backup. Everything below erases the phone. Make sure your photos, contacts, and messages are safe first.
Samsung Galaxy
Factory reset your Samsung Galaxy
Remove your accounts first. A Galaxy that still has a Google or Samsung account on it stays activation-locked for its next owner.
1. Settings → Accounts and backup
Open Settings and scroll down. It's grouped with Google, below Safety and emergency.
Google Drive
Smart Switch
Transfer data for device setup
Send data from this phone to a new device or bring data from an old device to this phone.
External storage transfer
Back up data to a USB storage device or restore data you've already backed up.
Looking for something else?
Reset
2. Tap "Manage accounts"
It's the first card at the top.
3. Pick your Google account
Tap each Google account in the list, one at a time. Your Samsung account is here too, same treatment.
Sync account
Sync on for all items
Google Account
Info, security & personalization
4. Tap "Remove account"
Confirm, then repeat steps 3 and 4 until every account in the list is gone.
Customization Service
Not in use
Work profile keyboards and tools
Looking for something else?
Navigation bar
Passwords, passkeys, and autofill
5. Settings → General management → Reset
Back in Settings, scroll to General management, then tap Reset and choose "Factory data reset". The phone restarts to the welcome screen when it's done.
Google Pixel
Factory reset your Google Pixel
Same idea: accounts off first, then erase. Pixel buries the reset under System, so follow the screens.
Languages, gestures, time, backup
1. Settings → Passwords, passkeys & accounts
Open Settings and scroll down. It's between Location and Digital Wellbeing.
Passwords, passkeys & accounts
Choose your preferred service to save data for sign-in and autofill suggestions. Turn on additional services if you'd like them to provide suggestions too.
Preferred service
Accounts for You
2. Tap your Google account
Under "Accounts", tap each account in the list one at a time.
Accounts
you@gmail.com
Google Account
Info, security & personalization
3. Tap "Remove account"
It's the blue button at the bottom of the account page.
Accounts
you@gmail.com
Google Account
Info, security & personalization
Remove account?
Removing this account will delete all of its messages, contacts, and other data from the phone!
4. Confirm the removal
Repeat steps 2 to 4 for every account, then head back to the main Settings list.
5. Settings → System → Reset options
Scroll to the bottom of System. Reset options is the last row.
Reset options
Reset Mobile Network Settings
Reset Bluetooth & Wi-Fi
Reset app preferences
Erase eSIMs
Delete private space
Erase all data (factory reset)
6. Tap "Erase all data (factory reset)"
The last option in the list.
Erase all data (factory reset)
This will erase all data from your phone's internal storage, including:
- Your Google Account
- System and app data and settings
- Downloaded apps
- Music
- Photos
- Other user data
You are currently signed into the following accounts:
7. Confirm "Erase all data"
Double-check the account list shows nothing you still need, then tap the blue button. The phone restarts fresh when it's done.
Different Android phone?
Every Android brand moves things around a little. Open Settings and use the search bar at the top. Search “accounts” to remove your accounts, then “factory reset” to erase. Or just bring it in and we'll do it together at the counter.
Phone's ready. Let's talk money.
Find your phone on our sell page, then bring it and the charger to iGeek in Elk Grove. Offers depend on model, storage, carrier and condition; get a quote in store.
Sell my phone