You like to Delete or remove all data from your Android Phone to reset, first save safely all your data to protect first. If you have decided to sell your old phone then it is very important to keep all of your personal data safe. You can do this by deleting the personal content on the device. Now, while you know the entire procedure on how to permanently delete all the data on iPhone devices, in this post we will explain how to permanently delete data on Android phones.
Remember that the instructions which we will be giving may vary and will depend on which Android version and model you have. Most of the settings are not that different in the majority of Android versions, and there can be a change of names in the settings and menus, however, the general instructions should apply and will do the job for all the Android devices.
How to Save Data on MicroSD Card
When it comes to the SD card, even after you have changed phones you can continue using the old one by simply inserting the card into the new device. All of your data saved on it like photos/videos will be moved to the new device.
However, if your new phone does not support MicroSD card, or perhaps you do not want to continue using the card then you should make sure that you delete all the data on the card by doing a simple format. Note that you need to backup your pictures and videos before doing format.
Instructions:
- First, begin by connecting your device and computer. You can use the USB cable connection. If you own a Mac computer, then you will also need to install Android File Transfer on your computer
- On your PC go to My Computer. Mac users open Finder.
- Now open the SD card. Copy all the files you want to save to your computer
- Once you finish copying, you can disconnect the phone from the computer
Once you have backed up your files, you can continue with formatting the SD card.
- To format, open SettingsàStorage on your phone.
- Navigate to the bottom of the page. Press the Erase SD card. A warning message will pop up telling you that you will lose the entire data on the card.
- Ignore the warning. Press the Erase SD card. Note that if your SD card is password-protected, you will be asked to enter the password to proceed.
Remember that someone can still recover the formatted files from the SD card. However, you can solve this problem by doing “layering”. In other words, this means that you will, need to fill the space with some other files, delete them and repeat the process several times and in this way, you will make sure that the original data is forever gone. If your Android Phone is locked and you like to change the IMEI code follow this instruction below:
Related:
How to Change IMEI code on Android Phone
For instance, if you own a 4GB microSD card that you have formatted, reconnect the card to a computer, copy one file which is around the same size as the card, and delete the file immediately. Repeat this process several times. After that, your card will no longer keep track of the old data and you can safely sell it if you want.
How to backup data on Android phone
When switching phones, it is of vital importance that you do not lose your most important data such as your contact or pictures. With Android, backing up is quite simple. All that you need is a Google Account to set up the device, and after that, your phone will be automatically backed up. To ensure that auto-backup is enabled do this:
- Open SettingsàBackup & Reset on your Android Phone
- Enable Back Up my data field
- Press Back, and scroll to the bottom until you see Accounts. Select Google.
- You should see your Google Account that you have used to set up your phone indicated with a green symbol next to it. Select the account.
- Enable/Mark all the options- in this way your Google Account will sync everything, starting from contacts/calendar/photos to email, etc… and everything will be automatically backed up to Google +.
- Remember that not all Android versions offer the option of auto-backup pictures. For instance, the 2011 Samsung Galaxy Note does not have it, while the newer Moto E has this option. So in case, your device does not support this option, use a computer to back up your data.
- You can back up any media files to your computer using a USB cable. Just follow the instructions which we have explained at the beginning at the SD card section to copy the files on your PC.
With this option, the application data for some apps will also be backed up. In order for the backup and restore service to work the apps need to be registered in the Android OS, and not every app on your device may support this. Just to be safe, you can do manual application data backup on all of your favorite apps, and you can manually back up your WhatsApp messages too.
Permanently remove everything
Once you have backed up everything that you need, you can proceed with the deleting process. Here is what you need to do:
Begin by fully erasing the SD card as we have mentioned above, or just take it out and keep it on the safe spot if you intend to use it with your new phone.
You can delete everything on your Android phone. You can do a simple factory reset. However, this data can be later recovered by a determined user. If you want to make sure that your data is unrecoverable even after it is deleted you will need to enable hardware encryption on your device. Note that most people can skip the 1&2 step and go directly to step 3:
- Open Settings-Security-Mark Encrypt Phone. This procedure will take a while, so make sure you keep your phone charged.
- Tap on Encrypt again to continue. You may need to tap several times if it does not work on the first try
The encryption process may even take one hour, so remember that you leave your phone charged.
After the procedure is finish, reset the phone:
- Open Settings-Backup and Reset. Press Factory Data Reset. When the next window is shown, mark the box labeled Erase Phone Data. On some phones it is possible to remove data directly from the memory card, so be careful about what you select.
- You will be shown a warning screen message- Just tap Reset phone to proceed
- The process may take a while and once finished your phone will be rebooted to the state it was when you first bought it, it will prompt you to select the language and to do sign-in once again.
And that’s it, you have deleted all the data on your Android Phone.
How to restore your files on a different phone
If you have followed the instructions on how to back up, then you will be able to restore the data without a problem. Do you have decided to use the old microSD card on your new phone? Then the entire media like music, movies, and photos will be transferred automatically.
But if not, once you get the new Android phone, sign in with the same Google account. Your contacts and other data can be transferred from your computer using a USB cable connection. It uses the same method that you have used to copy those files in the first place.
Even If you are switching to the iOS devices, it is still possible to sync with your Google account to transfer your contacts and calendars and use iTunes to transfer the media files that you have backed up.
If these instructions have been useful to you, make sure you tell your friends. If you have any other methods on how to securely remove the data on Android devices please let us know in the comments below.
