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In order to sell my Samsung Galaxy S7, I want to clear it of all personal data. I did a full factory reset thinking this would do the trick. But, after the full factory rest, I read this online

...a security firm has determined returning Android devices to factory settings doesn't actually wipe them clean. Security firm Avast purchased twenty used Android phones on eBay. Through extraction methods, they were able to recover old emails, texts, and even photos.

I then go on to read that a full file based encryption of the phone should make it safe for resale. I plan to fully encrypt the phone with file based encryption and then do another factory reset. However, I cannot find where to encrypt the phone!

I have tried every step-by-step guide I can find online and I simply do not see the "encrypt phone" option.

I've tried from here

  1. Launch the Settings Application
  2. Scroll Down and Tap on the ‘Lock Screen and Security’ Option
  3. Then Tap on the ‘Protect Encrypted Data’ Option

But there's no "Protect Encrypted Data" option!

I tried the answer from this StackExchange question. I went into developer options and there was no “Covert to file encryption” option anywhere on the phone!

In fact, when I search "encrypt" in settings the only thing that comes up is "Encrypt SD Card" (even when developer settings are on).

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1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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Thanks to Samsung non standard implementation, OP couldn't factory-reset and encrypt before selling. They couldn't :

  • Check if the device was encrypted

  • Locate the option for encryption

Steps advised :

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