Things To Check For Before Factory Resetting Phone

[zunebuggy]

I have two phones that I am getting ready to factory reset before I sell them. Both I have used for a few years and have a ton of apps. I know how to backup most of my stuff, but undoubtedly there are some apps, Like Note apps for example, that tend to save the data I created in some folder on the phone and it will not get backed up automatically. Typically these are so anecdotal that I don't worry about them. I did sync my phone with my PC and did a auto transfer of all Video and Photo files and checked the "delete from device after transfer" checkbox. Then I saw a bunch of my audio files do not get auto backed up in the cloud or by using the cable. Some are custom notifications I created using applications. So that got me thinking that I might format my phone and be deleting at least one item that later I will look for and it will be gone forever. I know it is petty but some phone experts here must have a checklist of:

1. Locations to look for stray personal files that someone may want to keep
2. File-types to search for that may not get included by cloud backup and cable/PC transfer

Does anyone do this or do you just not worry about it?

Thanks

 

[lvt]

1. Encrypt your phone.

2. Factory reset.

You are done.

Note: this step is not about backing up your files, but it's must be done as last step to make sure that noone could recover your (sensible) files.

 

[svim]

Install Samsung's Smart Switch utility on a computer and use it to do a full backup of your Note phones.
https://www.samsung.com/us/smart-switch/
Then go into the Settings >> Accounts menu and delete your account from each phone. You should also log into your Google account and confirm both are no longer tied to your account.
https://myaccount.google.com
You need to be sure both phones are no longer linked to your account. Remember, a Factory Reset only clears the user data partition, it doesn't do anything to the operating system so unless you remove your account I.D. because of Factory Reset Protection those phones will still be linked to your account. After a Reset when the next owner starts up the phone they'll be prompted with a login they have no access to.
https://www.samsung.com/us/support/frp/
So backup all your saved data, remove your account, then Factory Reset.
Which version of Android are these phones currently running?