How to Get Your iPhone Ready to Sell: iCloud, Erase and SIM

Getting an iPhone ready to sell comes down to three jobs: back it up, sign it out of your Apple Account, and erase it. Those steps protect your photos and messages, and they are also what makes the phone usable for the next person. Skip the sign-out and the phone stays locked to you, and nobody, us included, can buy it.

The order matters. Move your phone number and your data to your new phone first, then sign out, then erase. The steps below follow Apple's own support pages for iOS 18 and iOS 26. (iPhones.LA is not affiliated with Apple Inc. If what you see on your screen differs from what we wrote, follow Apple.)

The short version

1. Back up the iPhone to iCloud or to a computer.
2. Move your number (eSIM or SIM card) and your data to your new phone.
3. Unpair your Apple Watch, if you have one.
4. Look at Parts and Service History so you know what has been repaired.
5. Sign out of your Apple Account.
6. Erase all content and settings, including the eSIM.
7. Take out the physical SIM card, if there is one.
8. Remove the phone from your Apple Account's list of devices.

Step 1: Back up the iPhone

Once you erase the phone, anything you did not back up is gone. To back up to iCloud, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and tap Back Up Now. Stay on Wi-Fi until it finishes, then check that the screen shows today's date and time as your last backup. Apple's steps are on its iCloud backup page.

If iCloud says you are out of space, you can buy more iCloud storage or back up to a computer instead, using Finder on a Mac or the Apple Devices app on a Windows PC.

Step 2: Move your number and your data

If you are upgrading, set up the new phone before you touch the old one. Apple's setup process can copy your apps, photos and settings across while both phones are in front of you.

• eSIM: during setup the new iPhone may offer to transfer your number. If it does not, go to Settings > Cellular > Set Up Cellular (or Add eSIM) on the new phone and pick the plan from your old iPhone. This eSIM Quick Transfer needs your carrier to support it. If the option is not there, your carrier can move the number for you.
• Physical SIM card: move the card to the new phone, or ask your carrier to move service to the new device.

When the plan activates on the new phone, the old phone's SIM stops working, which is what you want. Move the number while the old phone is still signed in, since the transfer expects both phones on the same Apple Account. Apple's details are on Set up eSIM on iPhone.

Step 3: Unpair your Apple Watch

An Apple Watch paired to the phone should be unpaired before you erase the iPhone. Keep the watch and the iPhone close together, then:

1. Open the Apple Watch app on the iPhone.
2. Tap My Watch, then All Watches.
3. Tap the info button next to the watch.
4. Tap Unpair Apple Watch, then tap Unpair [your watch's name] to confirm.
5. If the watch has a cellular plan, keep the plan if the watch is staying with you.
6. Enter your Apple Account password to turn off Activation Lock on the watch, then tap Unpair.

Unpairing erases the watch and sets it back to factory settings. If you are keeping the watch, pair it with your new iPhone afterward. Apple's steps are on Unpair and erase your Apple Watch.

Step 4: Look at Parts and Service History

Go to Settings > General > About. If the phone has had a repair, a Parts and Service History section shows up there, with replaced parts labeled Genuine or Unknown. It will not stop you from selling, but it helps you describe the phone honestly, and a careful buyer will look at the same screen. Apple explains the labels on its Parts and Service History page. While you are in Settings, note your battery health as well; used iPhone battery health explains why buyers ask.

Step 5: Sign out of your Apple Account

This is the step that matters most to a buyer. Signing out and erasing, with your Apple Account password, is what turns off Find My and Activation Lock.

On iOS 26 or later

1. Open Settings and tap your name.
2. Scroll down and tap Sign Out.
3. Choose Erase This iPhone, or Sign Out But Don't Erase.
4. If you are asked, tap Sign Out of iCloud and Store.

If you are selling, Erase This iPhone takes you straight into erasing it. If you pick Sign Out But Don't Erase, finish with step 6.

On iOS 18 or earlier

1. Open Settings and tap your name.
2. Scroll down and tap Sign Out.
3. Enter your Apple Account password and tap Turn Off.

Apple keeps both versions of these steps on What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad.

Do not delete contacts, photos or calendars by hand before you sign out. Apple warns that while you are signed in to iCloud, deleting them on the phone deletes them from iCloud and from every other device you own. Signing out and erasing clears the phone without touching your iCloud copy.

Step 6: Erase all content and settings

Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. Enter your passcode or Apple Account password if you are asked, then tap Erase iPhone.

If the phone uses an eSIM, iOS asks what to do with it. Apple's advice when you sell is to erase the device and the eSIM profile. Your number should already be working on your new phone from step 2.

When the erase finishes, the phone restarts to the Hello screen, the same screen a new phone shows out of the box. Stop there. Do not set it up again. If it shows iPhone Locked to Owner, or asks for your Apple Account during setup, Activation Lock is still on and the phone is not ready to sell.

Step 7: Take out the SIM card

If your iPhone has a SIM tray, open it with a SIM tool or a straightened paper clip and keep the card. Recent US iPhones have no tray at all and use eSIM only, so there is nothing to pull out.

Step 8: Remove it from your Apple Account

Apple also recommends taking the old phone off your list of trusted devices. Apple's page above links to the steps.

Why Activation Lock matters to whoever buys it

Activation Lock turns on by itself when Find My is on. It ties the phone to your Apple Account, so after an erase the phone asks for that account's password before anyone can use it. That is great protection against theft, and a dead end for a buyer.

Apple's advice to buyers is blunt: do not take ownership of a used iPhone that is still protected by Activation Lock. We follow the same rule, and cannot buy a phone still locked to someone's Apple Account, whatever its condition. If you have forgotten your password, sort that out with Apple first. Apple explains the feature on Activation Lock for iPhone and iPad.

If you already handed the phone off

If the phone is gone and you did not erase it, Apple suggests asking the new owner to erase it. If that is not possible, erase it yourself in Find Devices on iCloud.com, then remove it there. Apple also suggests removing your Apple Pay cards and, if your next phone is not an iPhone, deregistering iMessage.

Before you meet a buyer

Once the phone is signed out and erased, it is ready. Three things make the sale quicker:

• Have the IMEI handy. It is in Settings > General > About, and on the Hello screen after the erase if you tap the info button. Buyers use it to check carrier lock and blacklist status. See what an IMEI check tells you.
• Grade it honestly. Our condition grades explain A, B, C and D.
• Know your lock status. Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock reads "No SIM restrictions" on an unlocked phone, and unlocked phones pay more.

With us, you get a cash estimate at /sell by answering four questions: model, storage, carrier lock and condition. Nothing is committed until you say so. Meet us at our secured facility or a public spot in LA or Orange County, or ship it in with a prepaid label we send. You are paid in cash in person, or by Zelle, Cash App or PayPal, the moment the phone checks out. Current numbers are on the value pages, for example the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 13.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to take the SIM card out before selling my iPhone?

Yes, if it has one. Take out the physical SIM card and keep it, or move it to your new phone. If the iPhone uses an eSIM, move your number to the new phone first, then choose to erase the eSIM when you erase the old one.

Does erasing an iPhone turn off Find My and Activation Lock?

Apple says that when you erase your iPhone, Find My and Activation Lock turn off, and you may be asked for your Apple Account password to do it. Sign out of your Apple Account first as well, as Apple's steps describe.

How do I factory reset my iPhone before selling it?

Back it up, then go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. On iOS 26 you can also start from Settings > [your name] > Sign Out and choose Erase This iPhone.

Can I sell an iPhone that is still locked to my Apple Account?

Not to us, and Apple advises buyers not to accept one. Sign out and erase it first. If the phone is no longer with you, erase and remove it in Find Devices on iCloud.com.

Do I need the original box and charger to sell my iPhone?

No. They are nice to have but optional, and the case and screen protector can stay on too. We check the phone itself either way.