Having important files like photos, videos, notes, messages, and more deleted from your iPhone can be extremely frustrating. Especially when you don’t have a backup to restore them from. While the files may seem “permanently deleted”, there are still some ways you can potentially recover them.
What does “permanently deleted” mean on an iPhone?
When you delete files from your iPhone, they aren’t immediately removed from the device’s storage. Instead, they are marked as deleted and the space they were taking up is made available to rewrite new data. The files remain in this state until they are eventually overwritten.
So when files are “permanently deleted” from your iPhone, it generally means:
- The files are not in the Recently Deleted folder
- The files have been marked as deleted, with the space rewritten
- You don’t have a backup to restore the files from
It’s important to note that even though the files are marked as deleted, the actual data may still be recoverable before it gets overwritten. But the chance of recovery decreases over time as more new data occupies that space.
How iPhone storage works
To understand how deleted files can be recovered, it helps to know how iPhone storage works. The data on an iPhone is stored in a hierarchical file system consisting of the following layers:
- File system: Manages the hierarchy for how data is logically stored and retrieved on the drive.
- Logical sectors: Represents blocks of data that make up the files stored on the drive.
- Physical sectors: The actual hardware blocks on the NAND flash memory that the data is physically stored on.
When you delete a file, only the “pointer” to that file’s logical sectors is removed from the file system. The actual data remains in the physical sectors until it is overwritten. So the deleted files are still recoverable as long as the physical sectors storing them are intact.
How to recover permanently deleted iPhone files without backup
Now that we understand more about how iPhone storage works, here are some methods you can try to recover deleted iPhone files without a backup:
1. Recover from iCloud backup
Even if you don’t have a local iOS backup, you may have backups stored in iCloud. Connect your iPhone to a computer and open the iCloud website (www.icloud.com). Login and navigate to Manage Storage > Backups to view any available iPhone backups. You can restore from them to retrieve deleted files.
2. Use iPhone data recovery software
Specialized iPhone data recovery programs can scan your device and rebuild deleted files from the logical sectors where data still resides. Some top options include:
| Software | Price | Recovery Capability | Supported Data Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fonelab | Starts at $59.95 | 30+ file types | Contacts, Messages, Photos, Notes, etc. |
| Tenorshare UltData | Starts at $39.95 | 35+ file types | Messages, Contacts, Voicemail, Notes, etc. |
| iSkysoft Toolbox | Starts at $49.95 | 18+ file types | Photos, Messages, Notes, Call logs, etc. |
These programs connect your iPhone to a computer and scan the raw data for files marked as deleted. They can recover various data types like messages, contacts, notes, photos, etc. Results and pricing varies across different software.
3. Extract backups from iTunes
Even if you don’t have an intact iOS backup, iTunes may still store components of an old backup such as the Photos Library. You can dig into the iOS backup files using special tools to extract any recoverable data.
On a Windows PC, backups are stored under C:\Users\[USER]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\. On a Mac, they are under ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/. You’ll need data recovery software designed to unpack and rebuild the backup files.
4. Retrieve iCloud synced data
If you had iCloud sync enabled on your iPhone, there may be copies of synced data stored in the cloud. On iCloud.com, you can restore Contacts, Calendars, Notes and other data that was being synced. The availability of older data depends on your iCloud storage plan.
5. Check the Recently Deleted folder
When you delete photos, contacts, messages and other files on your iPhone, they get placed in the Recently Deleted folder where they remain for 30 days before being permanently deleted. Open this folder under Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Recently Deleted on your iPhone to view and recover any available files.
6. Use an undelete tool on jailbroken devices
If your iPhone is jailbroken, you can install an undelete utility like iFile from Cydia. This allows directly searching through the logical file systems and extracting data from deleted files that have not yet been overwritten. However, jailbreaking leads to warranty loss and risks bricking the device.
Tips to avoid needing deleted iPhone file recovery
Recovering lost iPhone data can be difficult and unpredictable. The most reliable way to access deleted files again is through a backup. Here are some tips to avoid needing deleted file recovery:
- Back up regularly: Sync your iPhone to iTunes or iCloud frequently to build a stronger backup archive.
- Use iCloud: Enable iCloud sync and backup on your iPhone for contacts, photos, notes, messages and more.
- Archive backups: Occasionally transfer iTunes backups from your PC to external storage.
- Disable auto delete: Turn off auto-delete for Recently Deleted items under iPhone Storage settings to prolong available recovery time.
Can you recover permanently deleted iPhone notes without backup?
Recovering deleted iPhone notes without a backup is possible in some cases, but difficult. Here are a few methods that can work:
- Use iPhone data recovery software to extract notes marked as deleted before being overwritten.
- Restore from an iCloud backup if you had iCloud Notes sync enabled.
- Jailbreak the iPhone and use a file system tool to search and recover deleted note data.
- Check the Recently Deleted folder – deleted notes may still be there.
However, the success rate is low. Using iPhone note recovery services often yields better results. Your best bet is to regularly back up your iPhone notes to maximize recoverability.
How can I recover unsaved or lost Notes on iPhone?
If you forgot to save an iPhone note before exiting the app, or the app crashed causing note data loss, here are some ways you may be able to recover unsaved or lost notes:
- Re-open the app: Re-launching the Notes app can bring back unsaved notes in some cases.
- Restore from an iCloud backup: If you have iCloud sync enabled for Notes, you can restore a version with the unsaved notes from a backup.
- Use iPhone data recovery software: Unsaved notes may get cached in device storage, allowing recovery software to extract them.
- Jailbreak method: A jailbreak file manager can find cached note fragments that recovery tools can piece together.
Avoid losing unsaved Notes by enabling Auto Save in Settings > Notes to regularly save note revisions. Also back up your iPhone regularly so you have restore points for the Notes app data.
Can I recover permanently deleted iPhone WhatsApp messages without backup?
Here are the options for recovering deleted WhatsApp messages on an iPhone without a backup:
- Use iPhone data recovery software to extract deleted WhatsApp databases before overwritten.
- Jailbreak the iPhone and use a file explorer to find cached messaging databases that recovery tools can rebuild.
- Restore from an iCloud or iTunes backup if it contains the deleted WhatsApp data.
- Export chat histories from the sender’s phone before messages are deleted there.
However, recovering lost WhatsApp messages is unreliable without a backup. To maintain WhatsApp message restore capability, regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud or iTunes.
Can permanently deleted photos be recovered from iPhone without backup?
It is possible in some cases to recover deleted photos from an iPhone without a backup, using methods like:
- iPhone data recovery software can rebuild photos before they are overwritten.
- iCloud may have copies of deleted photos if you had iCloud Photos enabled.
- Image fragments cached by apps can sometimes be extracted and reconstructed.
- Jailbreaking the iPhone provides raw filesystem access for recovery tools.
However, photo recovery without a backup is not guaranteed. The most reliable solution is to maintain iPhone backups regularly either locally or in iCloud.
Conclusion
While you can potentially recover deleted iPhone files without a backup using data recovery software, iCloud restoration, jailbreaking and other methods, success is not 100% assured. The best way to reliably restore deleted data is to have a solid backup archive via iTunes or iCloud.
Back up your iPhone to iCloud or iTunes regularly, at least weekly if not daily for important data. Also archive extra backups occasionally, either locally or to cloud storage. With solid backups, you can confidently recover from accidental data loss on your iPhone.