I'm looking to reactivate an older cell phone, but don't want to lose apps and files already downloaded onto it. Will be activating with a new carrier, new cell number.
Welcome to Android Central! Apps are associated with the Google account, so if you remove the Google account, the apps and associated data go with it. But if you're activating the phone on a different carrier, you shouldn't have to remove the account (unless you're talking about giving it to someone else who will be using it on a different network).