How to Back Up Your Phone Before Selling It
A factory reset deletes everything. Spend ten minutes on a proper backup before you wipe the device — especially for authenticator apps and WhatsApp, which don't restore automatically on a new phone. General guidance only.
Reviewed by the PhonesForCash buying teamLast reviewed
This guide reflects practical device identification, inspection and resale considerations used by our buying team when assessing phones and other devices. It is general guidance, not a confirmed valuation.
Order to follow: 1) iCloud or Google backup, 2) photos, 3) WhatsApp, 4) authenticator apps, 5) banking apps, 6) verify before wiping.
iPhone — iCloud backup
- Connect to Wi-Fi and a charger
- Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now
- Wait for the backup to complete (can take 20+ minutes the first time)
- Verify under Manage Account Storage → Backups — the date should be today
If you don't have enough iCloud storage, either temporarily upgrade or use Mac's Finder / Windows iTunes to take an encrypted local backup. Apple's official guidance is at support.apple.com.
Android (Samsung, Pixel, etc.) — Google backup
- Settings → Google → Backup → Back up now
- On Samsung, you can additionally use Settings → Accounts and backup → Samsung Cloud
- Wait for completion and confirm the date
Photos and videos
iCloud Photos and Google Photos sync continuously when enabled — check that everything has uploaded before resetting. Open the app, look for the upload status indicator at the top, and wait until it says all photos are backed up. If syncing was off, copy photos to a computer or external drive first.
- Open WhatsApp → Settings → Chats → Chat Backup → Back Up Now
- iPhone backs up to iCloud; Android to Google Drive
- If you're moving to a phone of a different OS, use WhatsApp's official chat-transfer tool inside the app
Authenticator apps (critical)
Two-factor codes from Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy etc. are tied to the device. If you reset before transferring, you lose access to every account they protect — sometimes permanently. Use each app's official transfer / export feature first. For accounts where the authenticator can't be moved, use the recovery codes you saved when setting up 2FA.
Banking and payment apps
- Most banking apps register the device — you'll need to set up the app fresh on your next phone and verify with the bank
- Apple Pay / Google Wallet cards should be removed before sale (Settings → Wallet on iPhone; Google Wallet → Settings on Android)
- Don't rely on biometric login for banking apps after a reset — have your password or device-recovery code to hand
Contacts, messages and notes
Contacts saved to your Google or iCloud account sync automatically — anything saved "on device" only doesn't, so export to your account first. SMS / iMessage are included in the device backup. Notes saved in iCloud / Google Keep sync; locally-stored notes don't.
Verify before you wipe
Open the iCloud or Google backup screen and confirm today's date. Open Photos and confirm everything is uploaded. Open WhatsApp and confirm the backup time. Only then proceed to factory reset.
Common questions
Do I really need to back up if I'm getting a new phone?
Yes — restore-from-backup pulls everything across. Without it you'll start from scratch and may lose photos, message history and 2FA access.
How long does a backup take?
First-time iCloud / Google backups can be 30–60 minutes on a busy phone; subsequent backups are minutes. Plug into a charger and use Wi-Fi.
Can PhonesForCash back up my phone for me?
We can guide you through it at the counter, but the accounts and passwords are yours — please complete the backup before visiting where possible.
Want this applied to your specific device? Send the model and we'll come back with a realistic guide figure.
Related reading
Device Knowledge Centre →
All selling, valuation and recycling guides.
Factory reset before selling →
Step-by-step wipe instructions.
SIM and eSIM before selling →
Keep your number, clear the device.
Prepare your phone →
Full pre-valuation checklist.
What is Activation Lock? →
Sign out of iCloud / FRP.
Sell my phone →
Start a valuation when ready.