If your iPhone is broken and won’t turn on, you may still be able to recover photos and videos stored on it. Here are some options to try:
Connect iPhone to Computer
Connect your iPhone to a computer using the charging cable. Even if the screen is cracked or the phone won’t turn on, it may still mount as a drive and allow you to access the files.
On a Mac, the phone should show up in Finder. On Windows, it will show up as a drive letter in File Explorer.
You can then browse the DCIM folder and copy any photos or videos to your computer.
Use Cloud Backup
If you had iCloud backup enabled, your photos should be safely stored in iCloud. You can log into iCloud.com with your Apple ID and download any photos or videos from your backup.
Similarly, if you used another cloud service like Google Photos to back up your iPhone, you can retrieve your media from there.
Extract from iTunes Backup
If you regularly synced your iPhone with iTunes on a computer, there is likely an iTunes backup containing your photos and videos. Connect the iPhone and open iTunes.
Select your device and go to Summary > Backups to find the latest backup. Right click on it and choose Export Backup. This will save an extracted copy of your backup to a folder.
In the folder, go to HomeDomain > Media > DCIM to find your photos and videos which can then be copied to another location.
Use Data Recovery Software
As a last resort, you can use third party iOS data recovery software to attempt to scan the iPhone storage and extract your photos and videos.
Some options to try include:
- iMyFone D-Back – Scans and extracts lost data from iOS devices.
- Fonelab – Recovers photos, videos, WhatsApp messages, contacts and more.
- EaseUS MobiSaver – Retrieves data directly from iOS devices and iTunes backups.
These tools scan the raw storage and file systems, so they can often recover data even from crashed or unresponsive iPhones.
Send to Data Recovery Service
If you’ve exhausted all other options, there are data recovery services that can attempt to get photos and videos off broken iPhones. This involves shipping your device to a specialized data recovery lab.
Some well-known options include:
| Company | Starting Price |
|---|---|
| Drivesavers | $500 – $3000+ |
| Ontrack | $299 – $999+ |
| Gillware | $349 – $1699+ |
The costs vary depending on the specific problem with the device and amount of data to be recovered. The more complex cases can get quite expensive but may be worth it if the photos are truly irreplaceable.
Conclusion
While a broken or dead iPhone certainly makes getting photos off it challenging, there are still several potential options. With some persistence and the right tools, you have a good chance of salvaging those precious memories.
Trying recovery software or professional data recovery services are the most reliable methods if you absolutely must get the photos back. But don’t forget to regularly back up your iPhone in the future to avoid this headache again.
