I’ve been cleaning up my home office and found 2 pretty old smartphones in a box, around 10 years old I’d say. I don’t have any old chargers to check if they still work so I’m unsure what sort of data is on there, if any, or if they still charge up even.
What are the chances I can safely dispose of them at a recycling center, without risk of anyone trying to check into the phone? None of them can have the battery removed so I don’t want to just smash them with a hammer.
Try if they charge. If yes, delete whatever data you find on them, then bring them to a recycling center. If no, think for a moment if you are important enough for someone to repair a phone just to get your data from ten years ago. Unless you have high security clearance for the government or a really large company, the answer is probably no. There are easier ways to get more current information about you.