The Android smartphone market is renewed every month and users are increasingly interested in technological innovations. This ends up causing consumers to exchange devices frequently, and consequently many smarts are sold or passed on to family and friends. When selling the old cell phone, however, it is essential to take some steps so that your data is not accessed by unauthorized people. Here are some tips to prevent it.
Backup
First of all, it is recommended to back up your data both to keep it safe and to transfer it to the newly purchased device. Thus, it will be possible to erase everything from the smartphone, so as not to leave traces of your data. There are countless ways to store files in the cloud, from the most basic to the most advanced, so it is worth checking which one best suit your needs.
Cloud Computer
You can save your photos and videos directly to the cloud. By default, contacts are stored in the Google account, registered on Android, and applications can be downloaded again simply by logging in via the Play Store (including paid apps), including manually.
That way, videos, photos and audio are left, among other files that can be moved to a computer using a USB cable, or through cloud storage apps. There is even an alternative to save the progress of the games on the PC or transfer your WhatsApp messages.
Dropbox and Google Drive are some of the most popular for photos and videos, but there are countless other applications that can easily handle all the work, the highlight being Titanium Backup. For those who don’t want to rely on the web to download apps back to their phone, some backup solutions also save installers.
Data Encryption
When deciding to sell the old Android smartphone, it is recommended not to perform a factory reset before encrypting the device’s data. This procedure prevents data written deep in memory from being recovered using specialized software.
Step 1. To do the encryption, go to the “Configure” menu on your Android, click on “Security” and tap on “Encrypt phone”;
Step 2. On the next screen, plug the phone into a wall outlet and confirm your choice.
The procedure takes more than an hour, requires the device to be plugged in and cannot be interrupted, under penalty of complete or partial loss of data. The user defines a data unlock password, which must be entered whenever the smart is switched on – only perform the process if you are sure of the sale, as it is irreversible.
Factory Reset
After the previous two steps, it is recommended by Movical that the user perform the factory reset on the Android device. This process erases all data on the device, including photos and files.
Step 1. Go to “Backup and reset” and select the option “Original configuration”;
Step 2. Read carefully and tap on “Reset phone”. After this step, everything will be lost on the phone
By taking these steps, you avoid undue access to your data, since if you still have some remnants of your files after the reset, the encryption performed will require a pre-configured unique PIN to open them.
It is highly recommended that the user does not give up an old device without encrypting the data and performing a complete reset. After all, remember that the phone can be lost or resold by the buyer and end up in the hands of malicious people without your knowledge.
