How to Retrieve Pictures From a Broken Phone
Yes, you can often retrieve photos from a broken phone, even if the screen is cracked or the phone will not power on. If the phone still turns on, connect it to a computer and copy the photos via USB before the battery dies. If it will not power on at all, a data recovery service or specialized software can usually extract photos directly from the phone’s internal storage. The method that works best depends on whether the phone is completely dead or just physically damaged.
Accidents happen. A glass of water spills next to your phone. Your phone drops in the toilet while scrolling. Your phone smashes on the pavement while you’re rushing down the street. Cell phones are one of our most precious possessions, but simultaneously one of our more fragile devices and finding yourself the sad owner of a cracked screen or broken phone is nearly inevitable amid the chaos of modern life.
When your phone breaks, a simple trip to your local cell phone provider is necessary to repair the damaged device or purchase a new one. And while taking care of a broken phone might come with a hefty price, what is even more heartbreaking is the possibility of losing the material stored on the damaged phone. So when your phone breaks, can you get back your precious photos or are your memories lost forever?
Can you recover photos?
A completely damaged phone (even one that isn’t able to turn on) doesn’t necessarily equal complete data loss. It all depends on the level and type of damage done to your phone. If your phone needs to be repaired immediately, uBreakiFix is the perfect resource to use for a quick, smooth repair. Data from a broken Android phone can best be restored through a professional data recovery service using their specialized labs. However, there are multiple alternatives that don’t require you forking over money to a professional.
How to restore your photos and data on a broken phone
You have several options when trying to retrieve photos or data on a damaged mobile device. The first is by recovering files through your SD card. As long as your phone hasn’t been submerged in water or baked to a crisp in an oven or fire, your SD card should still be functional. In this case, you can remove it, stick the card in a SIM card reader, connect the reader to your computer, and extract the data from there.
Another alternative is recovering the photos by using the AutoPlay feature on your phone. In this regard, you would have needed to enable USB debugging before your Android phone broke or was cracked. Your phone’s USB slot will also need to be working as you are required to connect a USB cable. For this method, connect your broken Android phone to your computer via a USB cable. Once connected, an AutoPlay window will appear on your computer screen. Click on the option to “Open folder to view files.” You can then copy and paste the photos you want to retrieve. If you do not have USB debugging enabled, then nothing will appear on your computer screen. In that circumstance, use an OTG cable to connect your Android phone to a mouse and then you can control the functions of your broken phone with the mouse.
One of the best sources of protection is an online backup using your phone provider or another third-party service app. Typically, any data stored on a cloud storage service can be recovered by reinstalling the applications on your new phone. It’s highly recommended to back up your files on your computer or another device in case your phone breaks or is stolen.
You can also utilize Google Drive to recover your photos. Google Drive’s backup and sync features allow users to easily retrieve photos and materials on all of your synced devices. Google Drive stores all of the photos on your smartphone including the pictures shared via messaging applications like WhatsApp. Using Google Drive to access your photos is relatively easy. All you need to do is open up Google Drive and the photos should appear in the application. Simply download the files you want, and voila! All of your memories are saved.
How to Retrieve Photos From a Broken iPhone
iPhones handle broken-phone photo recovery differently than Android, since there is no removable SD card and USB debugging is not part of iOS. Here is what actually works.
If your iPhone still turns on, connect it to a Mac with a Lightning or USB-C cable and open Photos (or Image Capture) to import your photos directly, even if the screen is too cracked to see clearly. On Windows, plug it in and open File Explorer, where your iPhone will show up as a device you can browse.
If your iPhone will not turn on at all, check iCloud first. If iCloud Photos was already enabled, every synced photo is sitting in iCloud.com/photos or the Photos app on any other Apple device signed into the same account, no repair needed. If iCloud was not enabled, your most recent local backup through iTunes or Finder can be restored to a new or replacement iPhone.
If there is no backup and the phone is dead, a professional data recovery service is usually the only option, since an iPhone’s storage is encrypted and soldered to the logic board, unlike Android’s removable SD card.
Turning on iCloud Photos ahead of time (Settings, your name, iCloud, Photos) backs everything up continuously in the background, so this never becomes a problem again.