Surprise! Apple Just Boosted Trade-In Values. Here’s How to Prep Your iPhone to Get the Max Payout

Source Domain: www.pcmag.com

Buying a new iPhone is expensive. Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup ranges from $799 all the way up to $1,999. Even Apple’s lower-cost smartphone, the iPhone 17e, will set you back by $599. But you can ease the sting by trading in your old iPhone, a money-savings hack that can earn you even more now that Apple has increased the trade-in value of many of its devices.

If you have an iPhone 16, for example, you can now get an extra $10 for the Plus, Pro, or Pro Max ($465, $560, and $695, respectively), and an extra $25 for the base iPhone 16 ($460).

How can you make sure you get top dollar for your old iPhone? There are some steps you’ll need to take to clean up your phone, save your data, and ensure it’s ready to trade in or sell. Here’s what you need to do and how to get the most money.

1. Back Up Everything

First, make sure you don’t lose your data. Back everything up before you wipe it from your phone. To back up to iCloud from your device, go to Settings, select your name, and then choose iCloud iCloud Backup Back Up Now.

To back up to your Mac, connect your iPhone and your computer via a cable or Wi-Fi. If you have macOS Catalina or later, go to Finder, select your iPhone, and then choose General Back Up All of the Data on Your iPhone to This Mac Back Up Now. If you have an earlier version or a Windows PC, you’d use iTunes. Open the program, click on the image of your phone, then select Summary Back Up Now.

(Credit: PCMag/Apple)

2. Unfind Your iPhone

Apple’s Find My app can sometimes block activation by a new owner, so you should deactivate the app before you ditch the device. Though Find My is automatically deactivated when you erase all content and settings, which you’ll do below, this is still a good step to take as a precaution. Go to Settings, select your name, then choose Find My and disable it for that device. Enter your Apple Account password and tap Turn Off.