Having photos deleted from your Android device can be frustrating, especially if they were important memories that you wanted to keep. Unfortunately, when you delete photos on Android, they get removed from your device’s storage and moved to the “recently deleted” folder where they sit for 30 days before being permanently deleted. The good news is that with the right tools and techniques, it is often possible to recover deleted photos from Android even if they have been permanently deleted from the standard gallery.
Why are deleted photos recoverable?
When you delete photos on an Android device, the files are not immediately erased from the storage. Instead, Android simply marks the storage space used by the photos as available for new data. The actual photo data remains on the device’s memory until it gets overwritten by new files. This means there is a window of opportunity to use data recovery apps to find and restore deleted files before they get overwritten.
Android also has a “recently deleted” gallery where your device moves photos for 30 days after deletion. Any photos still in this folder can easily be restored. However, once the 30 days have passed, the photos are permanently removed from the folder and can only be recovered using data recovery methods.
Factors that affect photo recoverability
While it is often possible to recover deleted photos from Android devices, success depends on several factors:
- Time since deletion – The less time that has passed since deletion, the higher the chance of recovery.
- Device usage – Using the device to capture new photos/videos or install apps reduces recoverability.
- Storage type – Photos deleted from internal storage have a better recovery rate than external SD cards.
- Device root access – Rooted devices provide more recovery options than non-rooted.
In general, recently deleted photos have the highest chance of being recovered. However, photos deleted further in the past can also be retrieved with the right recovery tools.
Method 1: Restore from Google Photos cloud backup
If you had Google Photos cloud backup enabled on your Android device, your deleted photos may still be retrievable from the cloud. Here are the steps to restore deleted photos using Google Photos:
- Open the Google Photos app and sign into your Google account.
- Go to the “Library” tab and look under “Recently deleted.” Any photos deleted within the last 60 days will be there.
- Tap and hold on a deleted photo to select it.
- Tap “Restore” to move the photo back to your main library.
- For multiple photos, tap the circle with a tick mark icon to bulk select, then tap “Restore” to restore them.
This method allows you to easily recover deleted photos if they are less than 60 days old and were backed up to Google Photos cloud when deleted. Just note that any photos not backed up will not be restorable through this method.
Method 2: Restore from device recycle bin
Android has a built-in recycle bin called the “recently deleted” folder where deleted photos are stored for 30 days. To recover deleted photos from here:
- Open the Gallery app on your Android.
- At the top left, tap on the Menu icon (3 horizontal lines).
- Scroll down and select the “Recently deleted” album.
- Find the deleted photos you want to restore.
- Tap and hold on a photo to select it.
- Tap “Restore” to move the photo back to the main gallery.
This allows you to recover photos deleted up to 30 days ago. However, any photos not in the “recently deleted” folder will need to be recovered using data recovery apps covered next.
Method 3: Use Android data recovery software
If you need to retrieve photos deleted more than 30 days ago, specialized data recovery apps provide the best chance. These apps scan the device storage and recover deleted data even if no longer in the recycle bin. Some top options include:
DiskDigger Photo Recovery
DiskDigger is a free photo recovery app for Android with advanced scanning features to excavate deleted or lost media files. It can extract both JPG photos and RAW images from your device storage or SD card.
Key features:
- Recovers JPG, PNG, GIF, RAW, and other media formats.
- Free version allows recovery of up to 500MB of data.
- Sorts recoverable photos by file type.
- Shows preview thumbnails of recoverable photos.
DiskDigger offers an easy-to-use interface for finding and restoring deleted or lost photos. With root access enabled, the app claims to achieve recovery rates of over 90% on most Android devices.
UltData – Android Data Recovery
UltData by Tenorshare is a professional-grade data recovery tool for Android. It can extract 20+ types of lost files from Android internal memory and external SD card. Paid plans unlock unlimited use for serious recovery needs.
Key features:
- Recovers photos, videos, audio, documents, archives, etc.
- Recovers data lost due to device damage, system crash, rooting, ROM flashing, etc.
- Advanced deep scan mode for thoroughly searching device memory.
- Preview recoverable files before deciding what to restore.
UltData uses advanced scanning algorithms to achieve high recovery success. It also lets you target the scan to specific file types like photos or videos for customized recovery.
FoneDog Android Data Recovery
FoneDog is another powerful Android recovery app that restores deleted photos, videos, audios, WhatsApp data, documents, and more. It supports 6000+ Android device models from Samsung, LG, HTC, Motorola, Sony, etc.
Key features:
- Recovers accidentally deleted and lost data.
- Extracts data from broken, damaged, crashed Android devices.
- Retrievable data preview before recovery.
- Recover photos, videos, audios, documents, archives, etc.
FoneDog Data Recovery makes it easy to scan your Android and find deleted photos with an intuitive interface. The app offers both free trial and paid versions depending on your needs.
Method 4: Connect Android to PC and scan recovery software
Another option is to connect your Android device to a Windows or Mac computer and scan it using desktop data recovery software. This provides access to powerful recovery algorithms for deep scanning and data extraction. Some top choices include:
Stellar Photo Recovery Software
Stellar Data Recovery has a dedicated photo recovery tool for Windows and Mac. It extracts lost or deleted photos/videos from hard drives, memory cards, smartphones, and other media.
Key features:
- Recovers JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, camera RAW, video files, etc.
- Previews recoverable photos before restoring.
- Optimized scanner for quick photo recovery.
- Supports all camera brands – Canon, Nikon, Sony, Samsung, etc.
Stellar Photo Recovery has high success rates for recovering deleted, lost or formatted photos from digital cameras, memory cards, and mobile devices including Android.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a popular Windows tool for recovering lost data from hard drives, memory cards, mobile devices, and other storage media. It supports Android phone and tablet connectivity via USB.
Key features:
- Recovers photos, videos, music, documents, emails, etc.
- Supports data recovery from PC, laptops, hard drives, Android, & iPhone.
- Previews files before deciding what to recover.
- Free trial version allows 2GB data recovery.
EaseUS provides an intuitive interface and robust scanning algorithms to recover deleted Android media files. It is a great PC-based option.
Remo Recover Software
Remo Recover has Windows and Mac versions for recovering lost or deleted photos, videos, audios and other file types from hard drives, memory cards, and camera devices.
Key features:
- Recovers media files from formatted, corrupted, damaged devices.
- Restores from hard drives, RAID devices, flash drives, SD cards, etc.
- Photo recovery from cameras – GoPro, drone cameras, DSLRs, etc.
- Preview identified files before recovery.
Remo offers a dedicated media recovery toolkit with advanced algorithms to recover deleted Android files. It can retrieve even highly fragmented photo and video files.
Tips for successful Android photo recovery
To improve your chances of successfully recovering deleted photos from your Android device, follow these best practices:
- Act quickly – The sooner you attempt recovery, the better the chances.
- Avoid overwriting data – Don’t capture new photos or install apps until recovered.
- Enable USB debugging – Allows deeper scanning when connected to a computer.
- Root your device – Gives recovery apps full access for better results.
- Analyze storage first – Recover from internal storage before external SD card.
Also research the recovery software thoroughly and only download apps with positive reputation. Carefully follow the instructions for scanning, selecting, and restoring the deleted photos.
Conclusion
While it can be disheartening to accidentally delete important photos from your Android device, there are several effective ways to recover them. The key is to act quickly before the deleted data gets overwritten. Restoring from a recent cloud backup is the easiest option if available. Otherwise, Android data recovery software provides the best chance – either device apps or PC-based scanning tools. With some effort, there is a good possibility of retrieving even permanently deleted photos from your Android device.
