How to Prepare a Phone for a Repair Shop

A repair shop needs to power the phone on and test it. That does not require your data, your account password, or in most cases your passcode. Take these steps before handing it over.

Back up the phone

iPhone: Settings, Apple Account (your name at the top), iCloud, iCloud Backup, Back Up Now. Or connect to a Mac or PC and back up in Finder or the Apple Devices app.

Android: Settings, Google, Backup, Back up now. Open Google Photos and confirm the status says backup is complete.

Put an iPhone in Repair State

On iOS 17.5 or later, go to Settings, Apple Account, Find My, Find My iPhone, turn off Find My iPhone, then choose Remove This Device Temporarily (Repair State) and enter your Apple Account password.

Repair State keeps Find My and Activation Lock on, so the phone stays tied to your account, but the shop can diagnose and repair it without an erase. When the phone comes back, sign in and it leaves Repair State.

Erase instead of sharing the passcode

If the shop asks for the passcode, or the phone is too old for Repair State, erase it after backing up. iPhone: Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Erase All Content and Settings. Android: Settings, System, Reset options, Erase all data (factory reset).

On Android, remove the Google account first (Settings, Passwords & accounts, tap the account, Remove account) so Factory Reset Protection does not block the shop from testing.

Restore from the backup when the phone comes home.

Remove the SIM and any SD card

Pop the SIM tray and keep the card. On Android, take out the microSD card too. A phone with eSIM only can keep it; the shop cannot use it without the passcode.

Give the shop only what it needs

Hand over a passcode only if the phone is erased and the passcode is a throwaway set after erasing. Note the IMEI (Settings, General, About on iPhone; Settings, About phone on Android) so the returned phone can be matched.

If the shop insists on your Apple Account or Google password. Refuse. Account passwords are never required for hardware repair. A shop that needs Activation Lock off can ask you to turn off Find My or use Repair State; a shop that wants the account itself is a red flag.

If the screen is dead. Repair State cannot be set from the phone. Sign in at icloud.com, open Find Devices, and use Remove This Device only if the shop requires it; otherwise leave the phone locked and let the shop work on it as is.