Sending old phone to Virgin but can't factory reset.

[tj84]

Hi,

As part of the trade in process Virgin have sent me a padded envelope to send them back my old phone. The problem is that the screen is broken (black) so I can't do the required hard reset before sending it back.

I connected it to my PC and manually deleted all folders but this is probably not sufficient.

Any way of getting around this?

Thanks.

[BenMcr]

What device is it?

[tj84]

Samsung A40

[Natalie_L]

Hi tj84

Thanks for getting in touch with us here on the Community. 

I am sorry to hear your phone is not working at the moment. 

Information on how to complete this can be found on the manufactures website here

Thank you 

[BenMcr]

These are all the Samsung options

https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/how-do-i-perform-factory-reset-on-my-mobile-device...

Unfortunately though if you can't see the screen I don't think there are much options that allow for a reset.

Also unless you sign out of your Google account before the reset, the device may still have the Google Factory Reset Protection on it. The good news is that's there to protect your data. The bad news is that it stops the device being reused without your Google password being entered into it.

[enlli]

If the A40 has a broken screen you are probably going to pay more on postage than you will get as trade in value.

[JoeKing1VM]

Hello there if you've set up the device before hand with Android Device Manager via Google or Samsung account's, you should be able to log in to your Google or Samsung account and under device's locate the device from the list.  Also you can wipe the device with Find My Phone if you've given permission before screen went faulty. All of the above gives option to wipe the device, lock device etc..

Joe

[BenMcr]

That will require the device to be connected to either WiFi or mobile data though I believe - it's not going to work if it's not.

[tj84]

Thanks for the responses guys.

So, worse case, I send it back without a reset. Will Virgin accept it?

[Paulina_Z]

Hi @tj84,

Thank you for coming back to us in regards to your ongoing Mobile return issue. 

I am sorry to hear that due to the broken screen you're having trouble resetting your Mobile phone. Have you previously set up a Find My Mobile application? If you have, you will have to sign into it and disable it completely before sending your Mobile phone back to us. 

If you have not set up Find My Mobile, you can go ahead and send the mobile back to you as it is, if you're unable to complete a hard reset. Keep us updated on how you get on and if you need any further assistance.

Thank you.