Upgrading your phone can be exciting, but before you sell, trade in, or give away your old device, it's important to protect your personal information.

Your phone may contain photos, messages, contacts, passwords, financial information, and access to personal accounts. Taking a few steps before handing it to someone else can help protect your data.

Back Up Your Information and Remove Your Accounts

Start by creating a backup of anything you want to keep. Depending on your device, this may include photos, videos, contacts, messages, and application data.

Once your information is backed up, sign out of your accounts and remove the device from services that may continue to associate it with you. This is particularly important for cloud accounts and device-tracking features.

If you're moving to a new phone, make sure everything you need has successfully transferred before wiping the old device.

Don't forget about authentication applications, digital wallets, and other services that may require additional steps when switching devices.

Properly Erase Your Old Phone

After backing up your information and removing your accounts, perform a factory reset according to the manufacturer's instructions.

A factory reset is an important step, but businesses handling sensitive information may require more comprehensive data sanitization procedures depending on their security requirements.

If you're disposing of multiple phones through a business or organization, simply throwing them away isn't a good option. Devices can contain sensitive information and valuable materials.

A professional IT asset disposition (ITAD) provider can help securely process retired devices through data sanitization, reuse, remarketing, and responsible recycling.

Before you sell, trade in, or give away your old phone, remember that protecting your information is just as important as getting value from the device.