If you are looking to purchase a second-hand device or a used device, then there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind before buying them. Whether the hardware is working fine or not, whether the seller is the genuine buyer or owner of the phone, if the phone is security locked and more. In this guide, I will list things you need to check before buying an Android phone and iPhone. Used Phones are nothing less of buying a new one if the device doesn’t have too many scratches and the hardware is working perfectly fine. Also, since everyone cannot afford a brand new device as it hits the market, the used device market serves the purpose. But, the question is how you can be confident of buying a used phone. How you can know if the phone is in good condition. How to know if the hardware of the second-hand device is in excellent condition. How to know if the buyers is a genuine buyer and not someone (you know it right). These are the question that needs to be answered, and I will help you find answers to these questions. Perform a Hardware Check I know how important it is to check the hardware of the used device before buying it because I have suffered once buying a device without checking the hardware. It was a Samsung device, everything was looking flawless, and until I used it for a few days to figure out the issues it had. So, it is very important that you check the hardware of the phone thoroughly before making the buying decision. Now checking each and every hardware components working condition is not only a difficult but also a time-consuming task. The best you can do here is use a third-party app that checks for the hardware issues on the phone and reports the user on the spot. There are two different apps for Android phone and Apple iPhones. I have listed both the apps in the post below. ReGlobe – App for iPhone to Check Hardware Issues ReGlobe is an app for iPhones, and you can download it from the iTunes or the Apps store. ReGlobe is a marketplace app that you lets your sell or purchase you phone online. But, the good thing about this app is that it also has a feature that lets you check hardware functioning of your phone or others phone. So, before you buy any iPhone, take permission from the owner and install this app called ReGlobe. Once you have installed the app, you can run the app. The app will check your iPhone’s hardware systematically one by one. The App, ReGlobe, will check for hardware such as working of Camera, Speaker, Power On/Off, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Mute, Volume Button working, etc. at the beginning. Make sure you have turned on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS before you start the diagnosis process. There are total 13 tests that will be performed one by one. After each test, you can see the report and make sure the tested components are working or not. Phone Doctor Plus – App to Check Android Phones Hardware issue Now if you are willing to buy an Android phone then there is an app called Phone Doctor Plus. The difference here is that the Phone Doctor Plus is a dedicated diagnostic app compared to the ReGlobe Marketplace app. Once you have installed the app, the next step is fire it up so that it can start the diagnostic process to show if there is any fault with your device’s hardware. Run the app and proceed with the on-screen instructions. The app will perform about 30 checks before showing the status of the phone. Check Phone’s IMEI Number to Confirm the Authenticity of the Seller If the seller is offering unbelievable price offer, then be cautious of the seller. It is not necessary that such sellers have to be a fraud, but being sure about the authenticity of the seller is the key. You can check the Phone’s IMEI number to make sure that the phone is not a stolen device and has not been blacklisted by the OEM. There are a couple of online sites that allows you to check IMEI number of any phone easily. You can find the IMEI number using the shortcode given by the OEM or by looking at the back of the phone after removing the battery. To Check iPhone’ IEMI Number: Dial *#06# To Check Android Phones IMEI Number: Dial *#06# Once you have the IMEI number of the phone, you can go to sites like IMEI Checker. Type the IMEI number in the given field and look if the phone has been blacklisted in any of the markets. Note: The IMEI checker only shows the devices that have been reported for missing or theft. Check If the Phone is Activation Locked (iCloud and Android Lock) One of the recent incident I came across with an iPhone was that the owner of the phone could not turn on the phone because it was iCloud activated. So, whenever he would try to log in, the phone would ask for iTunes ID and password which was used to setup the device the last time. If you cannot provide the iTunes ID and password, then you won’t be able to log in and use the iPhone. So, it is necessary that you check the status of the Lock on the device before you buy it. Check Lock Activation Status for iPhone To check if the iPhone you are planning to buy is iCloud activated, go to iCloud Activation Lock web page and put in your iPhone’s IMEI number. Run the tool to see if the device has active lock status turned on. Check Lock Activation Status for Android Unlike iOS running Apple iPhone, there is no direct way to know if the Android phone is locked or not. What you can do here is try to reset the Lock settings through the settings. Go to Settings of your device and try to set up the phone using your Google ID. If the phone takes you to the reset process, then you are good to go. If it asks for the last user ID before you can use your ID, then be sure you get the device unlocked from the seller. Ask for Bill and Warranty Now the last but most important thing is to ask for the original bill and the box/warranty of the device you are willing to buy. If the seller says the device is under warranty, you should have the warranty card or the original box of the device so that can you claim the warranty. So, these are a few but very important things you should do before buying a used Android Phone or an iPhone.
