How to Completely Delete Data Before Selling an Android Phone!

Have you ever sold your smartphone? Well, chances are that any data you had on it is recoverable if it falls into the hands of someone even a little tech savvy. Concerned? Read on.

A little while back, Avast experimented and found out that Android’s factory reset tools delete data only at the application layer. This means that any generic and publicly available tool for data retrieval (i.e. data recovery software and tools) could get your photos, videos, SMS, location data and even Facebook chats without too much trouble. The issue is more pronounced for devices running older Android versions but as the old adage goes, it is better to be safe than sorry.

To stay safe there are a few things you can do. First of all, under Settings > Security on your Android phone, there’s an Encrypt Phone option. Simply turn that on and then delete your data.

Depending on your manufacturer and Android version, you might have to do a bit of digging around to find this option. Without the PIN or password to decrypt the data (which gets deleted in the factory reset), it would be much harder to get your personal stuff from the smartphone. You could also go crazy with loading up dummy data and subsequent factory resets depending on how valuable your data is.

Another option is to use an app built specifically for the purpose of deleting your data securely. There are a few available options for that. First one is Secure Delete, which can be used to delete any file from your smartphone’s internal memory or SD card. It’s compatible with Android 2.3+ so that covers the majority of the user base. Secure Wipe is an app you can use after a factory reset. It wipes all the free space to make your data unrecoverable. Make sure to tick all the check-boxes though. If you like more choice, Andro Shredder is another great option that provides multiple algorithms for data deletion.

In conclusion, the onus of keeping your data safe falls on you. Never assume that your stuff is safe. The time you spend on securely getting rid of the data you don’t need could save you a world of headache down the line.


    • Hard reset is still no guarantee against data recovery of moderate kind, forget the more determined methods.

      Frankly, the best way to ensure your data does not get stole off old phones is by either destroying your phone or making sure it does not get into the hands of someone you do not trust.

    • Gibran is correct. Hard reset has about the same security as the reset in settings app. Your data can still be recovered. The only way to make sure it’s recovered but extremely hard to read is to encrypt your phone BEFORE doing a hard reset. Even if anyone recovers that data, it’ll be impossible for any average Joe to decrypt it.

  • Jis tara ki posts aa rahi hain aaj kal propak per muj lagta hai ye jaldi Aam khanay ka smart tariqa bhi btaen gay.

  • The best way to wipe your old data is to fill the phone storage or sd card storage twice or thrice with movies etc. Each time delete them. After that all of the recovery programs will only recover the recent deleted files. Make sure to fill up at least 99% of your storage each time.


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