When buying a smartphone, our budget can sometimes be a serious stumbling block. Be it an iPhone or an Android, you can’t always buy the latest smartphone on the market, but at the same time you don’t want to end up with a sub-par phone.
The option of buying a used or refurbished phone could be a great alternative for many. The phone may be used, but if there are few signs of use and everything is functional, I think it’s still a good bargain. However, aside from looks (scratches and dents), there are many things to look out for, and in this article we will tell you about these checks in detail.
1. Make sure that the hardware is functional
The first and most important check to perform on any used Android device is the hardware quality. You don’t want to end up with a device with a faulty camera or dead pixels on the screen. However, doing these checks manually is time consuming and there is a high chance of skipping important modules.
Fortunately, there is an app for this on both Android and iOS that can help you with these checks automatically.
Checking the hardware for the iPhone
To check the hardware of an old iPhone, install a free app called ReGlobe. This app is an online marketplace where you can sell your old smartphones. While selling on this platform is totally your choice, there is an integrated tool that can help with all the hardware checks required.
After installing and launching ReGlobe on the iPhone you want to check, you will be guided through the hardware check step by step. In the very first step, it checks all the wireless hardware and gives you a full report.
Next, it helps you check other hardware aspects like volume rocker, home, power and mute sliders, followed by the microphone, earpiece and even the screen, for dead pixels. All of these checks are accurate and comprehensive and will give you a better insight into the iPhone.
At the end of the review, ReGlobe gives you a buyback price for the phone, but as I mentioned earlier, that’s optional if you want to sell the phone for some hard cash.
Checking the Android hardware
If the phone you are buying is an Android phone, you can install the Phone Doctor Plus app to perform the necessary hardware checks. The app tests for 30 hardware elements and sensors, some of which include multi-touch, headphones and microphone, gyroscope, proximity sensor and display.
The app is easy to use and we have already made a video about it. So check it out and thoroughly test the old Android you would buy before investing your hard earned money.
2. Check the IMEI information to find the authenticity of the phone
The next check that needs to be done is to see if the device has been stolen or is blacklisted on any of the markets. The best way to do this would be to find out the IMEI number of the device and check it in an online database.
Find the IMEI number by dialing * # 06 #. Once you have the number, open the IMEI checker home page. Enter the IMEI number of the device here and run the check. If the phone has been reported stolen, the service provides this Blacklist status Like Locked/blacklisted.
3. Activate the activation lock
Checking the activation lock status is necessary because if a phone, either an Android or an iPhone, is force reset, you can’t use it with your personal ID.
Checking the activation lock for iPhone
To check the status of the iPhone activation lock, open the iCloud activation lock web page and enter the IMEI number to perform the check. If Find my iPhone on this IMEI number is enabled, it will be displayed and therefore you should ask the seller to turn it off before you buy the phone.
If you buy a device with activation lock enabled, you will not be able to configure it under your iCloud ID.
Checking the activation lock on Android
For Android users, there is no direct way to determine if the phone has activation lock enabled. However, you can turn on the phone and try to configure it under your Google ID. If the phone indicates that the reset was not done properly and that the old ID is required before you can configure it, it simply means that the activation lock is activated.
Just ask the seller to clean the phone properly and try to set up Google ID again.
4. Check the warranty status of the iPhone
To check the iPhone’s warranty status, simply open Apple’s "Check Coverage" web page, where you can check the service and support coverage on the iPhone. Just enter the serial number of the iPhone and check the warranty status. To learn how to find the serial number, click here.
Android users, on the other hand, can only rely on a valid invoice with IMEI number to know the phone’s warranty status, which is usually up to one year.
Conclusion
So these were the mandatory checks you should do before you buy a used iPhone or Android. If you have any doubts, please let us know via the comments section below. We also made a video on the same topic, watch it and share it with those friends who don’t like reading!
READ ALSO: To test if the sensors on your Android phone are working properly