Do a full backup before a factory reset: back up the whole phone to Google or iCloud, check photos, contacts and WhatsApp separately, then sign out of your Google or Apple account. A reset wipes everything on the phone, and anything not backed up is usually gone for good.
Why reset (and when not to)
Reset when you’re selling or giving the phone away, or as a last fix for a phone that is slow, buggy or infected after other fixes failed. Don’t reset just because storage is full; deleting large videos and old WhatsApp media is quicker and safer.
Checklist: what to back up
Tick each one before you reset:
| Item | Android | iPhone |
|---|---|---|
| Whole phone | Settings > Google > (All services) > Backup > Back up now | Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now |
| Photos and videos | Google Photos backup finished | iCloud Photos on, or copy to a computer |
| Contacts | Saved to your Google account, not the phone or SIM | Contacts on in iCloud |
| WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat backup | Same path, saves to iCloud | |
| SMS (M-Pesa, bank) | Included in Google backup | Messages in iCloud, or in iCloud Backup |
| Files, documents, memory card | Copy to Drive or a computer | Copy from the Files app |
| 2FA and banking apps | Note how to move them | Same |
Apps: you don’t back up the apps themselves. They reinstall from Play Store or App Store when you restore, but some apps keep data only on the phone, so check authenticator, notes and game apps for their own backup or export option.
Use Wi-Fi; a first full backup can be several gigabytes. More detail: how to back up your phone.
Sign out of Google or Apple ID (avoid the lock)
Factory Reset Protection (Android) and Activation Lock (iPhone) tie the phone to your account even after a reset. If you sell it without signing out, the buyer can’t set it up.
- Android: Settings > Accounts (or Passwords & accounts) > Google > Remove account. Samsung users should remove the Samsung account too.
- iPhone: Settings > [your name] > Sign Out, which also turns off Find My.
- Know your Google or Apple password before you start; you may need it during the reset.
Selling? Remove your Safaricom or Airtel SIM and memory card, and make sure no M-Pesa or banking app is left signed in.
Reset steps on Android and iPhone
- Android: Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset). On Samsung: Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset. Menus vary, so search Settings for “reset”.
- iPhone (“reset back to new”): Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.
- iPhone through a computer: connect to iTunes (Windows) or Finder (Mac), select the phone and choose Restore iPhone. Use this if the phone won’t start properly.
After the reset, restoring is covered in how to get data back after a factory reset, with restoring contacts from Google and getting photos back from iCloud.
Quick answers
Run a full backup (Google Backup on Android, iCloud Backup on iPhone), confirm photos and WhatsApp are backed up, then sign out of your account.
Apps reinstall automatically from your backup. Check apps that store data only on the phone and use their own backup or export option.
Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings, after signing out of your Apple Account.
