Buying a second-hand phone safely

For anyone browsing Ridents, here is a clear starting point on the subject.

A used phone can halve the cost of a flagship, as long as a few checks are made before money changes hands. Ask for the serial number and check it against the blocked-phone register, confirm that the previous owner has signed out of their account so the activation lock is off, and look at the battery health figure in the settings.

A used phone can halve the cost of a flagship, as long as a few checks are made before money changes hands.

Meet in a public place or buy from a seller with a returns policy. Test the camera, the speaker, the charging port and the screen edges, and make a call. Factory-reset the phone in front of the seller. Then set it up fresh, update the software and add a strong screen lock. The whole check takes fifteen minutes and avoids the two most common frauds.