8 Things To Check Before You Buy A Used iPhone

Are you planning to get a used iPhone/iPad this year? Well, congratulations, but do you know what should you check before you buy a used iPhone? If you don’t know then no need to worry, I have compiled buying used iPhone checklist that will help you to make proper decision.

Buying a second-hand iPhone/iPad can be a pain if you are not aware of a few checks that you should do before making that transaction.

In this technological era, our best friends are not humans anymore; do you agree? Our mobile phones are becoming saviors, something without which we can’t think to meet the needs of our daily lives. Phones are becoming part of our lives slowly.

Also Read: Why Buying Apple iPhone Is The Ultimate Life Experience?

From getting up in the morning by an alarm clock, listening to music, getting our reminders, getting informed, watching videos, making calls, and the list goes one for every little thing, we are dependent on our smartphone.

Mobile phones are like our partners, and we want the best of partners and can’t think of living without it. The best of it is iPhones, and every one of us wants to have one.

But getting a brand new iPhone is very expensive and not everyone’s cup of tea, many people prefer buying an old or used i-phone as it will come under their budget.

If you are looking for a used or old iPhone, there are many things you must consider before doing so.

Buying a used iPhone is full of risks, and you can end up getting a bad product. There are many things which you should look after before purchasing a used iPhone. 

Before Buying A Used iPhone Checklist:

#Checking the Hardware

Hardware should be the first thing you must check before buying second hand & used Apple Mobile Phones. As a damaged equipment is not of any use and can cost you many bucks in fixing the damages after buying it. You can check the following hardware.

⦿ Check if the screen is scratch-free and is working correctly, tilt the screen a little so that you can see the minute of the scratches.

⦿ The body should be free of dents, marks, and even any other sort of damage, so look carefully.

⦿ Open the camera and check both the front and back camera to see if it is working correctly or not.

⦿ Also, check if there are scratches on the Back and Front camera cover.

⦿ You should check all the radios like WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. just turn on WiFi & Bluetooth and connect to the wireless network/device. Make sure at least the WiFi is working.

⦿ In older versions of i-phones like iPhone 6, 6s, 7, 7s, etc. you must check if the headphone jack is working correctly, make sure the jack does not get loose easily.

⦿ You should call someone to check the voice quality and whether the microphone is working correctly or not. 

⦿ Play some music to check the quality of iPhone internal speakers; loud music will make a great test as if there is any sound issues, you will easily know it.

#Look For The iPhone Model

Should I buy a secondhand iPhone 7 Plus, or should I go with iPhone 8? Well, buying an old iPhone, there are many things to look after, and if you are going to pay some hard-earned cash for even a used Apple phone, you must get something better.

If you end up buying an old iPhone that you may find yourself dealing with outdated features and settings. This will not be of any worth to you.

It’s not a brainer to buy an old version or model of iPhone. You must try to get or find someone who is selling a younger generation phone. This will provide you all the great features and will keep you up to date.

I am not sure if you are aware or not, but many people complained about older iPhones getting slower. So do not go for a very old iPhone.

# Check If The Seller Is Genuine

Would you buy an iPhone second hand that is stolen? This is one of the things which most of the people do not look about. The seller should be authentic, and the phone should be his/her personal property.

The phone should not be stolen, you must ask for the bill and other related documents to ensure that the seller is authentic; otherwise, this may cause many legal problems to you in the future.

By the way, if you are buying a refurbished iPhone online, please be sure that you buy from authentic websites. If you find a Website that is selling used iPhones, check for its reviews on Google and Facebook page. The best place to buy a used iPhone is offline in your local area as you can approach them easily if you find anything wrong with the used phone.

You can also check this online by following these steps-

⦿ Go to iPhone “Settings” and tap on “General”

⦿ Tap on the “About” tab.

⦿ Look for IMEI number by scrolling down ( this is a 15 digit number usually)

⦿ Get the IMEI number and visit the  CTIA Stolen phone checker site and then manually enter the number in the provided field and then click on for the I am not a robot option.

If you get a Green notice, this means not reported for lost or stolen and is a safe indicator, but if you get a Red notice then you should not buy the phone from the respective seller.

# Check If iPhone Is SIM or Network Locked

Do you want to end up buying a SIM or Network locked iPhone? I guess no, this is an important check in our used iPhone buying checklist. You should be aware of this as if the iPhone is locked, then you will not be able to use your favorite phone network with it.

We have a comprehensive article on our website on how to check if the iPhone is SIM or Network locked and also how to unlock an iPhone. So go ahead and give it a read.

# Battery Health

You must check the battery health of the device before buying it and ensure that it is in excellent condition as the battery is among one of the most critical factors.

You can do this simply by–

⦿ First, charge the battery to full 100%.

⦿ Turn ON all the radios like wifi, Bluetooth and GPS, and even mobile data connection.

⦿ See for how many hours the phone can run before the battery burns out.

Tip: You can check the battery health for an i-phone running on iOS 12 and above by using the battery health feature. Here is how to check your battery health in newser versions of iOS:

⦿ Go to “Settings” and tap “Battery“

⦿ Then tap on “Battery Health“

You will get a percentage of the health of the battery. The higher the percentage, the better is the battery health. It is 100% for a brand new phone. So check that it must be as close to the best for better battery life.

In general, the battery of an iPhone on a 3G call can last for nearly 10 hours.

Do not ignore if you see battery belly, by belly I mean the batteries that are going to die expands from the middle. So do not forget to check that. You just need to see the backside of the iPhone and see if you feel any lump on the back using your fingers.

# Warranty Slip

You should check that the phone you are going to buy is in the warranty period or not. If it is under the warranty period, then you must take the warranty slip from the seller because it will help you in any case of damage to the phone.

You just need the serial number that you can find at the back of your device box and BOOM you will see if the Apple device is in Warranty or not.

Try to take as many documents as possible from the seller; this will help you in the future from various problems. You can also check the warranty of the iPhone online by visiting Apple’s CheckCoverage site.

Another way to find the serial number is to Navigate to General > About > Serial Number as shown in the screenshot below:

# Check For Water Damage

Ensure that the iPhone has not gone any water damage. This is a must because water damage can’t be fixed even in the warranty period as it is not covered under it.

You can check this with the help of  Liquid Contact Indicators(LCI) available below the slot of the sim card in the iPhone 5 and above. You can check it by removing the sim card from the slot and check if a red dot or red strip is present. If present, it is an indicator of water damage. Better just look for another iPhone if you see the Red LCI.

# Price, Features & Specifications

Buying a used iPhone is a great way to save your expenditure and increase your cool 🙂 but you must look after the features you are going to sacrifice for this. You will get a phone of lower than one generation behind from the present one, and it may lack many features.

So you should decide what are your priorities while buying a used or refurbished iPhone and then select the model and seller respective to your needs and your budget.

To help you out with comparing the features and specifications of the iPhone you are buying, SocialCompare is a great site to look at. The screenshot above is from the same site.

Best Place To Buy Used or Refurbished iPhone

💰 Mobile Shops Near You

Mobile shops near you or nearby places that sell new phones and other digital gadgets will also keep stock of many used and refurbished phones. You can visit a shop and ask them for a second-hand iPhone, and they may help you get one. Make sure you keep this used iPhone Buying Checklist handy when you visit the shop.

💰 Apple Stores Near You or Online

The official site of Apple provides many refurbished Apple products daily in their Refurbished store. The chances of getting an iPhone are relatively low, but the products are updated daily. So you can visit the site and check if any old iPhone is available for sale or not. This medium is the best as you will be directly dealing with the manufacturer, and the chances of getting scammed are almost 0%. Here is the link to there online store.

💰 Old Products Buyers & Sellers

There are many websites and app which buys and sells old products and gadgets. You can find an old iPhone/iPad there at different prices and options. NextWorth is one such company that sells and buys used iPhones, and the choices and prices may also fall into your budget. One other such company is Gazelle.

💰 OLX, eBay & Other Sites

These are other sites where many old products are available, including used iPhones, and you can get one here, but the sellers and products available here may not be authentic. You can also come in contact with many online frauds and may cause harm to yourself. So try to be very cautious while surfing here.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this Checklist, be sure to check for Google Reviews and Social Media too.

Also Read: iPhone Apps & Resources For Covid-19 Information Tracker

Wrapping up

Well, there are many other things to look before buying a used iPhone, and this is a hectic job indeed. There are many other factors like the RAM, ROM and a lot more things but these built-in properties can be understood by the model of the iPhone

The things which you can’t know from the model or version of the phone are more important to look after before buying it.

The above-listed checklist and items are among the top priorities a buyer should check before buying a used i-Phone. We have tried to list the most important things possible.

We at iKeema.com hope that this article will surely help you, your family, or any other buyer in getting a good old set of an i-Phone. Thank you for visiting us. If you find the information useful, please do not forget to share it on Social Media.