How do I remove my personal information before sending back my phone?

Before returning or exchanging your phone, you’ll want to back up your personal information and then clear it off the phone. It's also super important to remove your lock-screen code. You’ll be charged the full cost of the phone if it's locked when we receive it.

Prep your phone for a return or exchange

To avoid losing any important files, always back up your phone before clearing your personal information.

After you've backed up, it's time to wipe your phone clean. This will return the phone to its original settings and delete all your personal info, including your lock-screen code. Here's how:

iPhone

1. Turn off Find My iPhone and sign out of iCloud:
   • Go to Settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone > Turn off.
   • Go to Settings > iCloud > Sign Out.
   • Tap Sign Out and Delete from my iPhone when prompted.
     
     Note: Do not manually delete Contacts, Calendars, Photo Streams, or other iCloud information while signed in to iCloud.
2. Next, perform a factory data reset:
   • Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
   • Enter passcode if prompted.

For more details on iPhone resets, learn how to erase information from your iPhone. If you no longer have your phone or don’t have it with you, you can also remove your device from Find My iPhone on iCloud.com.

Samsung

1. If you have a Gmail account, you should remove it before performing a factory data reset:
   • Navigate to Settings.
   • Tap Cloud.
   • Tap Accounts.
   • Tap Email.
   • Tap More > Remove Account.
2. Reset:
   • Tap Settings > General Management > Reset.
   • Select Factory Data Reset.
   • Tap Reset Device.

Google

1. If you have a Gmail account, you should remove it before performing a factory data reset:
   • Navigate to Settings.
   • Tap Systems > Advanced > Reset Options.
   • Tap Erase all data (factory reset).
   • Reset Phone.
     • If needed, enter your PIN, pattern, password.
   • Tap Erase Everything.
2. Reset:
   • Choose Restart after your phone has finished erasing.
   • Set up your phone and restore your backed-up data.

Motorola

1. If you have a Gmail account, you should remove it before performing a factory data reset:
   • Press the Menu button and tap Settings.
   • Scroll down and tap Privacy.
   • Tap Factory Data Reset.
   • Check Erase Internal Storage to erase all the data on the phone's internal storage.
2. Tap Reset Phone.

LG

1. If you have a Gmail account, you should remove it before performing a factory data reset:
   • Navigate to Settings.
   • In the General tab, tap Accounts > Sync.
   • Tap the email account you want to remove.
   • Tap More > Remove Account.
2. Reset:
   • On the home screen, navigate to Settings > General > Backup and Reset > Factory Data Reset.
   • Select Reset Phone.