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Our kids get our hand-me-down phone because I know they’re rougher on them than I am. They don’t need the latest model if it’s at a higher risk of damage. Most people have access to smartphones, and it can be hard to imagine living without them — plus, we know where the kids are at all times thanks to Life360.
A hand-me-down phone is a great way to save money and improve your environmental impact, but how exactly are you supposed to make a phone ready for this transition?
Hand-me-down phones
Make Repairs
The very first step to take when handing down a phone is making the repairs so it’s functional. No one likes the idea of using a broken phone, with screen cracks and other damage making life very hard. Thankfully, most minor phone problems can be repaired, and it’s likely that you have a shop close enough to help you. Websites like iFixIt can be great for those who want to try and work on something like this for themselves.
Remove Data
Once you have the phone repaired, remove the data from it. Most phones come with factory reset options that make this incredibly easy, but you may also need to check through and learn how to delete an album on iPhone or Android to get started. There are loads of resources around the web that can help you to make sure that the device you are giving away is free from the data that you used on it.
Swap Sim Cards
Sim cards are designed to be used by a single person. This card contains your phone number, contacts, and other elements of your phone’s information. It’s important to make sure that people are able to keep their own sim card, as this will help to prevent your data from being compromised.
Clean the Device
Finally, clean the device you are giving away. The outside of a phone is easy to clean with a slightly damp microfiber cloth, though you can go deeper than this. USB and headphone ports can quickly fill with debris, but you can use a blunt needle to gently remove this. Any stickers or other personal touches should also be removed at this stage.
As you can see, there are a few different steps that need to be taken when you are giving a phone to someone else. This should also apply when you are selling your phone, with data removal being especially important in this case. Of course, though, you can also get the recipient to do some of the work.
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