Buying a Used Device.

[iMore Question]

I'm thinking of picking up a used iPhone to replace my damaged device. My question is, how safe is it to buy a used phone? Should I have any concerns about the previous owner gaining access to my information? Could the phone be altered to obtain the information of a new user? Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[Just_Me_D]

1. Meet the seller in person in a public place.
2. Inspect the device for damages.
3. Have the seller power on the device and then have him verify that the iCloud Activation Lock has been disabled (To do this, the seller has to disable the toggle next to Find My iPhone and then enter his iCloud passcode to confirm)
4. Confirm that the seller is signed out of iCloud, the iTunes & App Store, iMessage, FaceTime all mail accounts, reminders, notes, calendars, etcetera.
5. Have the seller go to Settings-General-Reset and then select the erase all contents and settings option in your presence.

Afterwards, and if the price is to your satisfaction, purchase the device, go home and set it up. These are my recommendations.

 

[aximtreo]

Well put. Copied it and stored for future reference.:yes:

 

[anon(10607787)]

Do not forget to let them wait until you set the phone up first to make sure sim, Bluetooth, cellular and wifi is working.

 

[Annie_M]

I know that it's part of the iCloud features, but make sure that the seller has signed out of "Find my iPhone" as well.

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[linear2202]

Some thoughts from the other end. I've sold my iPhone every year to buy a new one.

Expect that you will need to put your sim in the device to use it at all. Previously, you could reset an iPhone and get it all the way up and operational with wifi. now, you must insert a sim card in order to get through the setup.

Make you sure you have 2fa disabled if you use it. Or have another device handy to ack the request.

You might want to ask if you could meet the person next to a service provider store. One person wanted me to wait at a ATT store while she took the phone inside and had one of the reps inspect it. I declined. I declined mainly because the wait at the stores can be long to talk to someone. If I knew there was a scheduled apt then I would have no issue.

If the phone is newer check the battery status and see how low it might be. My wife drains her battery all the time and the battery status is close to 80% capacity.

Bring a sim tool.