Before you sellFor sellers4 min read

How to reset an iPhone before you sell it

Back up, unpair your Apple Watch, sign out of your Apple Account to turn off Find My and Activation Lock, then erase all content and settings before you sell.

In short

Back up to iCloud or a computer, and unpair your Apple Watch if you have one.
Sign out of your Apple Account so Find My and Activation Lock are off, then erase all content and settings.
Already handed it over? You can still erase it and remove it from your account at iCloud.com/find.

01Before you start

Back up to iCloud (Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now) or to a computer.
Back up WhatsApp from inside WhatsApp as well.
Unpair your Apple Watch. In the Watch app, go to My Watch > All Watches, tap the info button next to the watch, then Unpair Apple Watch.
Move your authenticator app codes to your new phone.
Moving to Android? Turn off iMessage first (in Settings, open Messages; on recent versions it's under Apps), so texts from iPhone users reach your new phone.
Note the IMEI from Settings > General > About, and find the bill and box.

02Sign out of your Apple Account

This is the step that matters most to the buyer. Your Apple Account (formerly Apple ID) keeps Find My and Activation Lock switched on. If they're still on when the phone is wiped some other way, such as from a computer or remotely, the iPhone asks for your Apple Account password before anyone can set it up.

01
Open your account
Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
02
Tap Sign Out
Scroll to the bottom and tap Sign Out.
03
On iOS 18 or earlier
Enter your Apple Account password and tap Turn Off.
04
On iOS 26 or later
Choose Sign Out But Don't Erase to sign out now, or Erase this iPhone to sign out and erase in one go. If asked which account, choose to sign out of iCloud and the store.

03Erase the iPhone

01
Open the reset menu
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
02
Choose to erase everything
Tap Erase All Content and Settings, then follow the prompts.
03
Enter your passcode
Enter the iPhone passcode, and your Apple Account password if you're asked.
04
Remove the eSIM
If the phone has an eSIM, choose the option to erase it along with the phone.
05
Confirm
Tap Erase iPhone. When it's done, the iPhone restarts to the Hello screen. Leave it there and don't set it up.

04Already handed it over?

If the iPhone has gone and you didn't sign out or erase it, you can still fix things from another device.

01
Ask the new owner to erase it
If you're in touch with them, ask them to use Erase All Content and Settings as above.
02
Or erase it remotely
Sign in at iCloud.com/find, choose the iPhone, and erase it.
03
Remove it from your account
Once it's erased, choose Remove This Device if it's offered. Apple says this removes Activation Lock, so the new owner can set the phone up with their own account.
04
Tidy up your device list
On another Apple device, go to Settings > [your name], tap the old iPhone, then Remove from Account.

05At the shop counter

Any careful buyer checks that Find My is off and the iPhone isn't tied to an Apple Account, because a locked iPhone can't be set up or resold. If you sign out and erase at the counter, do it yourself.

When you sell through a Recashy partner shop, the phone is checked in front of you and graded from A (like new) to D (damaged). You confirm the sale with an OTP sent to your own mobile number, so keep your SIM in a phone you have with you. The record of the sale gets a number like RC-000123, and it's locked once filed.