A while back, I traded in my old iPhone at Apple. I was a bit carefree and didn't factory reset it before trading—just locked the screen and handed it over. Recently, I noticed that the iPhone still has Find My iPhone enabled, and it's showing up in a different country. I'm curious, if hypothetically I didn't set a passcode and just powered it off before the trade-in, does Apple take care of resetting it for resell or trade-in purposes?
2 Answers
As a former Apple retail employee, I can tell you that traded-in iPhones typically get sent to a third party for processing. Most of the time, they get recycled or refurbished for resale in other markets. If Find My iPhone is still on, you can log into your iCloud to remove it. But if it’s been a few years since you traded it, you’re probably safe now!
Make sure to log into your iCloud account and check the devices linked there. You should see if it’s still active.
When you trade in a device, it's standard for Apple (especially in Europe) to wipe it immediately when it comes in for processing. They do this before moving on to repairs or resale. So, even if you didn’t reset it, Apple will clear your data for you before it goes anywhere else.
How do I find out if it’s still linked to my iCloud?