Losing photos stored on a broken iPhone can be devastating. Photos often contain precious memories that cannot be replaced. Fortunately, there are several methods you can try to retrieve photos from a broken iPhone.
Quick Answers
Here are quick answers to common questions about retrieving photos from a broken iPhone:
Can you retrieve photos if the screen is cracked or broken?
Yes, you can retrieve photos even if the iPhone screen is cracked or broken. As long as the phone turns on and connects, you can pull photos off it.
Can you get photos off a water damaged iPhone?
It may be possible to retrieve photos from a water damaged iPhone depending on the extent of the damage. Turn the phone off immediately and let it dry out for at least 24 hours. Then try connecting it to a computer to pull photos.
Is it possible to get photos off an iPhone that won’t turn on?
Yes, there are a few methods you can use to extract photos from an iPhone that won’t power on. You can remove the memory chip and read it with special hardware or try powering the phone just enough to make a backup.
Can photos be retrieved if the iPhone is locked?
Locking the iPhone does not encrypt or delete photos stored on it. You can still retrieve photos through a backup or extraction as long as you can connect the device to a computer.
What is the best way to get photos off a broken iPhone?
The best method depends on the type of damage. For software issues, restoring from a backup is best. For physical damage, directly extracting the memory chip contents offers the highest chance of recovering photos.
Assessing the Damage
When attempting to retrieve photos from a broken iPhone, the first step is assessing the extent of the damage. This will determine which photo recovery methods are possible to try. There are a few main types of damage to evaluate:
Physical Damage
Physical damage like a cracked screen or damaged housing has no direct effect on the photos stored on the device. As long as the phone can still power on and connect to a computer, the photos should still be accessible. If the phone won’t turn on due to physical damage, the photos may still be recoverable from the memory chip.
Water Damage
Water damage can cause corrosion and electrical shorts that prevent the iPhone from turning on. If the water exposure was minor, thoroughly drying out the phone for 24-48 hours may allow it to function again temporarily. This could provide enough time to retrieve photos. Severe water damage likely requires disassembling the device and extracting the memory chip directly.
Software Issues
Problems like the iPhone being stuck in a reboot loop, not booting up, or having display issues may be fixable by restoring the operating system software. If a restore allows the phone to operate normally again, the photos should be intact. Restoring from a backup is the best way to retrieve photos if software is the only issue.
Extreme Physical Destruction
In cases of extreme physical destruction, such as from being crushed, bent severely, or shattered, the internal memory chip may be damaged beyond repair. This likely prevents photo recovery, though it depends on which components were affected. A specialist may still attempt data extraction, but chances of success are very low.
Connecting the iPhone to a Computer
The easiest way to retrieve photos from an iPhone is by connecting it directly to a computer. This allows accessing and copying the photos either from the iPhone storage or from a backup.
Requirements
- A computer with iTunes (for PC) or Finder (for Mac)
- Lightning to USB cable to connect the iPhone
- iPhone must power on and be detected by computer
Steps
- Connect the iPhone to computer with cable
- Open iTunes or Finder and select the connected iPhone
- Navigate to photo storage and select all photos
- Import photos to the computer
If the iPhone is severely damaged and won’t power on or be detected, this method won’t work. You’ll need to attempt data extraction from the memory chip instead.
Restoring From an iTunes or iCloud Backup
If you have a recent backup of the broken iPhone stored in iCloud or iTunes, you can restore that backup to another device and access the photos. This requires the backup is intact and the phone damage is limited to software issues.
Requirements
- Backup of the broken iPhone stored in iCloud or iTunes
- iOS device to restore the backup to
- Apple ID and password used on broken iPhone
Steps
- On the new iPhone, select “Restore from Backup” during setup
- Sign in with Apple ID used on broken iPhone
- Select desired backup containing photos
- Allow restore to complete
- Photos from the backup will now be on the new iPhone
With an intact backup and a spare device, this is often the quickest way to regain access to your photos. Just be sure the backup contains the lost photos you want to retrieve.
Extracting Data Directly from the Memory Chip
For water damaged or severely physically damaged iPhones that won’t power on at all, it’s sometimes possible to remove the memory chip from the device and extract the data directly. This requires specialized tools, skill, and labor.
Requirements
- Small Phillips screwdriver
- Plastic pry tools
- Fine tip soldering iron and solder
- Memory chip reader/programmer
- Micro soldering skills
Steps
- Disassemble the iPhone to access the memory chip on the logic board
- Carefully desolder memory chip from logic board
- Attach chip to chip reader/programmer
- Scan and extract all data from chip
- Search extracted data for photo files
This method has the highest chance of success for retrieving photos from badly damaged iPhones, but carries a high risk of totally destroying the memory chip if done improperly. Consult a data recovery specialist for assistance.
Using Specialized Data Recovery Software
When the iPhone hardware is still somewhat functional but won’t properly connect to a computer, specialized data recovery software may be able to extract photos by communicating with the iPhone through custom protocols.
Requirements
- Damaged iPhone must partially power on
- Lightning cable to connect phone
- Desktop computer to run software on
- Data recovery software license
Steps
- Download and install data recovery software
- Connect damaged iPhone to computer
- Allow software to scan phone for recoverable data
- Preview found photos and select those to recover
- Save recovered photos to computer
With the right software, specialized data recovery can retrieve photos without requiring a working screen or intact operating system on the iPhone. The phone just needs to partially power on and connect via cable.
Sending to a Professional Data Recovery Service
For iPhones with extensive physical damage or liquid exposure that leaves you unable to retrieve photos on your own, professional data recovery services may be able to recover the data. They have specialized tools and clean room facilities.
Process
- Ship damaged iPhone to service for evaluation
- Service disassembles iPhone in clean room and extracts memory chip
- Memory chip contents are scanned and data recovered
- Recovered photos sent back on external media
Professional services can rescue photos from iPhones with almost any type of damage, but fees often start over $1000. Weigh the value of irreplaceable photos against the cost.
Preventing Photo Loss in the Future
While you hopefully can recover photos from the broken iPhone using one of these methods, it’s also important to implement preventative measures for the future.
Enable iCloud Photo Library
iCloud Photo Library automatically backs up new photos from an iPhone to iCloud storage. So they’re always saved and retrievable. Just be sure sufficient iCloud storage is purchased.
Frequently Sync to iTunes
Syncing an iPhone to iTunes provides a local backup containing photos. Perform regular syncs to have recent backups available if needed for recovery.
Use Additional Cloud Storage
Services like Dropbox or Google Photos give additional cloud backups of phone photos. For maximum protection, automatically upload photos to multiple cloud services.
Create Local Photo Backups
Save photos from the iPhone to a computer, external hard drive, or cloud storage frequently. This provides multiple versions to restore from if needed.
Store Less on the iPhone
Keep fewer photos stored directly on the iPhone internal memory. Offload them regularly to ensure less data is potentially lost if damage occurs.
Conclusion
Retrieving photos from a broken iPhone is often possible using backups, data recovery software, professional services, or extraction of the memory chip contents. The specific method to choose depends on the type and extent of damage. Quick action is important to avoid permanent data loss, so first assess the phone damage, then try any viable photo recovery techniques right away.
Implementing ongoing precautions like additional backups, cloud syncing, and reducing on-device storage can help prevent ever losing iPhone photos again in the future. With some effort, those irreplaceable photos taken on a damaged iPhone can usually be rescued and saved.