How to securely wipe data delete privacy risks from a smartphone or an Android tablet
1. Backup all of your data that is valuable to you in your smartphone or tablet because when it's gone, it's gone. There is no Cancel button you can press to get back your data.
2. Then plug the charger into the device, so that it has sufficient power for the privacy wipe process. This is important because the process can take hours.
3. Go to> Security Settings> Encrypt phone (or tablet Encrypt) to start on the Android 4.4 or lower or go to Settings> Security> Lock to the start screen process on Android 5.0 and later.
4. You will be guided through the process. Set a strong password. Do not bother encrypting the SD card because you can pop your SD card out and keep it rather than wipe it. This process may take more than an hour, so be patient and make sure that you have the time.
5. Go to Settings> Backup and Restore> Factory data reset, click Reset phone (or tablet reset).
6. Once this process is complete, the data is still there. Technically, it is always in the flash memory but now flash memory is recognized as free space and can be overwritten now. Because data is encrypted, so the recovery would be difficult. However, if you want to eradicate it completely, go to the next step.
7. The best way to get rid of encrypted data is overwritten by new data. There are two ways to do this. You can load large files on the device (large video files are ideal for this) until the memory is full, and then delete these files or you can destroy the data with a custom application iShredder digitally to shred the data.
That's it your data is now gone, and you're sure to sell your smartphone or tablet.
