What to do with Your Used and Broken Smartphone – An Overview

Smartphones are nowadays the most used electronic gadgets around the world. According to the latest statistics, approximately 2.3-2.4 billion people around the world uses smartphones, and this number will increase in the next few years. Therefore, it can be easily deduced that demand for mobiles around the world are getting higher and higher. Latest technology upgrades and exciting features can also be termed as the prime reasons for such a huge demand. Previously we used to see mobile phones from top brands getting the latest upgrades. But nowadays, not so popular brands are also opting to upgrade their devices and sell them at a lesser price to attract customers. After all this, one thing we all tend to forget is that, what happens to our old phones that we had used till now. We all run to buy smartphones with latest updates on their operating system, better battery backup, better camera quality, etc., but we don’t know what to do with our old smartphones and iPhones that may not be fast as the current one or has less features or may be broken or damaged.

We can’t deny the fact that these electronic devices do not last long and they become obsolete within a span of 2-3 years. Another thing that we cannot ignore is that, these devices contain toxic components like mercury, lead, arsenic, etc., that not only affects our health but also affects the environment as well. Throwing these old devices on to landfills or junkyards are not an option as the toxic elements can mix with the soil and cause soil pollution as well.

Therefore, the options that remain with us are selling phones for cash, recycle the old devices, opt for buy back services from existing carriers or trade in iPhones and other smartphones from trade in centers for purchasing the latest devices. Let us go through some of the options in detail.

1. Selling through Online Marketplaces – There are many various online marketplaces and classified sites like eBay, Craiglist, OLX as well as Facebook marketplace that help in selling the old devices to different customers easily. Registering with these sites are very easy and the process to send an ad is pretty simple too. Just add a picture of your mobile phone, write a compelling title and description about your device, set your price, and it’s done.
2. Selling to Someone You Know Personally – If you know someone, may be your friend or a co-worker, who is in need of a mobile phone, you can easily sell them your old devices at a price that is fair for your friend or co-worker. This way you can reduce the risk involved in selling phones online, as you know the person with whom you are dealing. But a problem can arise when selling your old devices to your friends or co-workers. If the device starts malfunctioning after a few days or weeks of use by your friend, a question may arise as to who will pay for the repairs. These types of situations have to be discussed between your friends before you sell your used phone to them.
3. Selling to Companies who Purchase Old Phones – There are various companies present online which purchases your old or broken mobile phones and provide cash for the devices. These companies offer easy shipping services for pickup of the devices. Corporate organizations can sell their phones in bulk too by contacting these companies.
4. Recycling Centers – If you don’t wish to avail any of the options above, you can give your old and broken phone to recycling centers around your locality. These centers are run by various non-profit organizations working towards protecting the environment from all types of chemicals and hazardous waste.

But before you sell or recycle your old phones, there are some important points that need to be followed. These are:

1. Take a backup of your device: Whether you sell your mobile or give the device to recycling centers, you would not want your files present in the mobile to be accessed by others. Therefore, it is better to back up all the files and applications first at a cloud storage like Google Cloud, One Drive, etc.
2. Delete all the data present in your device: Copy all your data including pictures, videos, songs and other documents either to your Micro SD card or in your computer first. Now, erase all the data from your phone and restore the device to the previous condition when you purchased it using Factory data reset option. Through this, all the data present in the phone will be wiped out completely.
3. Clean your device: If your old device looks new to the eye, you can get a greater price when selling to 3^rd parties or other people. Therefore, before opting to sell your phone, clean the device properly.

Follow these processes before selling or recycling your old devices and you can easily get a good amount of cash that you can use to buy a new phone with the latest features you wanted.

Author Bio: John Tiropanis is a technology blogger who shares a lot of information about technology and mobile phone related news. Here he provides information on the places where old smartphones can be sold or recycled.