# Do not wipe your old phone until you have moved these twelve things

> A phone trade in checklist for upgrade day. Twelve things to back up, move or deauthorise before you factory reset, starting with your authenticator seeds.

- Published: 2026-09-09
- Topic: [Gadgets](https://futuretechnologyhq.com/topic/gadgets/)
- URL: https://futuretechnologyhq.com/article/phone-trade-in-checklist-before-you-wipe/
- Publisher: [Future Technology](https://futuretechnologyhq.com/), free to read. Quote as "Future Technology" with a link to the article.

## Key points

- Move your two factor authenticator seeds before wiping, because this is the most common way people lock themselves out of everything
- Sign out of your account before the factory reset so activation lock actually releases
- Check the trade in quote against the private sale price, because the gap is often 40 percent or more

## Article

Every September a large number of people wipe a handset with their two factor seeds still sitting on it, then spend the next fortnight recovering email, banking and work logins one support ticket at a time. The phone is replaceable. The authenticator app on it usually is not.

With a new iPhone line arriving this evening and [the foldable pricing story reshaping the whole ladder](/article/apple-september-9-2026-event-what-to-expect), a lot of handsets are about to get reset in a hurry. Run this phone trade in checklist first.

## The twelve steps, in order

- 1. Take a full local backup before touching anything else. Cloud backups are convenient and incomplete.
- 2. Verify the backup actually restores. Do not trust the progress bar; open the restored data and check it.
- 3. Move your two factor authenticator seeds to the new device or export them. Do this before step 11, not after.
- 4. Sign out of your Apple or Google account so activation lock releases. A locked handset is worth nothing at trade in.
- 5. Transfer the eSIM through the carrier flow rather than assuming it follows the backup.
- 6. Export your message history, especially anything in an app that does not sync by default.
- 7. Deauthorise paired devices. Watches, earbuds and car head units all hold a pairing record.
- 8. Remove payment cards from the wallet.
- 9. Check for saved Wi-Fi passwords you have stored nowhere else, including guest networks and workplaces.
- 10. Note down any app that uses device based licensing, such as a password manager with a device limit.
- 11. Factory reset, then confirm on screen that it completed rather than assuming it did.
- 12. Photograph the serial number and the physical condition before you post it.

## Two things worth spending money on

Hardware security keys make step 3 much less fragile. If your accounts support a [FIDO certified key such as the YubiKey 5 NFC](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HBD71HL?tag=futuretech0d6-21), your recovery path stops depending on a single phone continuing to exist. An external SSD makes step 1 fast enough that you will actually do it rather than skipping to the cloud and hoping.

The same logic applies to any device you are retiring, which is why the [Windows 11 upgrade checklist for an old PC](/article/windows-11-upgrade-checklist-old-pc-2026) opens with the same two steps.

## Check the quote before you accept it

Trade in programmes price convenience. The gap between a carrier or manufacturer quote and a private sale is routinely 40 percent or more on a recent flagship in good condition. If you are already weighing [what a foldable costs you against a slab](/article/foldable-vs-slab-eight-tradeoffs), that gap is worth ten minutes of checking.

The step people skip is number two. A backup you have not tested is a guess, and upgrade day is a bad time to find out.

*Some links above are Amazon Associates links. If you buy through them, Future Technology earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.*

## Key takeaways

- The phone is replaceable, but the authenticator app on it usually is not.
- A full local backup should be taken before doing anything else, as cloud backups are incomplete.
- Two factor authenticator seeds should be moved to the new device or exported before the old device is reset.
- Signing out of Apple or Google accounts is necessary to release activation lock and get a fair trade-in price.
- Transferring the eSIM through the carrier flow is necessary, as it does not follow the backup.
- Removing payment cards from the wallet and deauthorising paired devices is necessary to secure personal data.

## Sources

- [Yubico Security Key on Amazon](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HBD71HL?tag=futuretech0d6-21)
- [MacRumors Apple event guide](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/apple-september-2026-what-to-expect/)