Cleaning up a cell phone for donation

January 23, 2010 6:44 AM

I have a fairly new tmobile cell phone, which I hate and want to donate away. After I cancel the account, what do I need to do to the phone before getting rid of it? I have deleted all the contacts and calls/texts information. Is there anything else? I don't know much about how phones store information so please use small words.
posted by JanetLand to Technology (2 answers total)

Best answer: If you don't have a place in mind for donating, you should check out collective good. You can select from one of their participating charities. They say in their FAQs that the software is changed out, contacts deleted, etc on their end, so there's little to no risk of the donee getting your info.
posted by melissasaurus at 6:48 AM on January 23, 2010

To delete all information stored inside the phone, first power off the phone, then remove the SIM card (the little card that's usually hidden away behind the battery), then perform a "hard reset". Google "hard reset" and your phone model number to find out how. Usually it involves powering on the phone, then keying in a combination of numbers, e.g. *7600#, then confirming the reset. After you receive a confirmation note, power the phone off and it's ready to give away.
posted by oxit at 7:06 AM on January 23, 2010 [2 favorites]