Yes, there are apps that can help recover deleted files and data from Android phones. When files are deleted on an Android device, they are often not immediately erased from the phone’s storage. Instead, the space they were taking up is marked as available and can be overwritten in the future. As long as the space has not been overwritten, data recovery apps can scan the phone’s storage and restore deleted files.
How Data Recovery Apps Work
Data recovery apps for Android leverage the way operating systems handle file deletion. When you delete a file on an Android device, the file isn’t immediately removed from the phone’s storage. Instead, the space it occupies is marked as available to be overwritten by new data. The actual deleted file remains in place until new data overwrites it.
Data recovery apps scan a phone’s storage for these deleted but still recoverable files. They search for files that have been marked as deleted but that still reside in the phone’s storage and have not yet been overwritten. By finding these files and reconstructing them, data recovery apps can restore deleted data.
However, data recovery becomes impossible once deleted files have been overwritten by new data. For this reason, it’s important to use data recovery apps as soon as possible after deletion, before too much new data has been written to the device.
Top Android Data Recovery Apps
Here are some of the top-rated and most widely used data recovery apps for Android:
DiskDigger
DiskDigger is one of the most popular free data recovery apps on Android, with over 10 million downloads. It can recover lost photos, videos, documents, and other files from internal storage as well as external SD cards.
DiskDigger is easy to use with a simple interface and works effectively to restore accidentally deleted files. It performs both a basic scan and a deeper dig to thoroughly search for recoverable files. The app also allows previewing files before recovery and sorting through the scan results to identify which files you wish to restore.
EaseUS MobiSaver
EaseUS MobiSaver is an excellent data recovery app for Android that comes with both free and paid versions. The free version can recover limited amounts of data, while the paid version has unlimited data recovery capabilities and additional features.
MobiSaver thoroughly scans Android devices to find residual data left behind even after a factory reset. It can recover data like photos, messages, contacts, documents and more from the internal memory as well as external SD card. The app also allows previewing files before recovery.
Dumpster
Dumpster is a free undelete app for Android that’s especially easy to use. It works by creating a recycle bin on your device where any files you delete get stored temporarily. This gives you a window to recover accidentally deleted files.
Dumpster lets you easily view your deleted files, see details about them like date created and size, and restore them back to where they were originally deleted from. The app also includes a photo gallery area allowing you to easily undelete deleted pictures.
UltData – Android Data Recovery
UltData is a professional-grade Android data recovery app designed to retrieve lost or deleted files like photos, messages, contacts, call logs, WhatsApp data and more. It can recover data from Android devices as well as SD cards.
The app provides a deep scan of internal and external storage to extract maximum residual data. An advanced data analysis feature allows browsing and filtering through the scan results to identify which data to recover. UltData also supports restoring data directly to another Android device.
Glary Undelete
Glary Undelete is a free data recovery app for Android providing an easy way to restore accidentally deleted files. It supports recovering documents, photos, videos, music files and other data from Android device internal memory or external SD card storage.
In addition to easily scanning and recovering deleted Android files, Glary Undelete also includes a file wiping feature for thoroughly deleting private data. The app also boasts extra tools like a shortcut creator, CPU cooler and app manager.
Key Features to Look for in Data Recovery Apps
When choosing a data recovery app for your Android device, keep an eye out for the following key features:
– Deep scan capability – The app should thoroughly scan both internal phone storage and external SD cards to extract as much recoverable data as possible.
– Filtering of scan results – It’s helpful to be able to sort and filter the scan results to isolate the specific file types you want to recover.
– Preview function – A preview feature allows verifying which scanned files you actually want to restore before recovering them.
– Ease of use – The app should have an intuitive and straightforward interface to make the recovery process simple for anyone.
– Cloud storage support – Some apps can even recover data synced to cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox.
– Desktop compatibility – The ability to also analyze and restore data from Android devices on a Windows or Mac computer is a bonus.
Before Using a Data Recovery App
When attempting to recover deleted files from your Android device using a data recovery app, there are few things you should do first:
– Charge your device – Make sure your device is adequately charged before running an intensive scan and recovery operation.
– Back up the device – Consider backing up your device to the cloud so you have a copy of your data in case the recovery app fails.
– Close other apps – Close any memory-intensive apps on your device to maximize resources available for the data recovery app.
– Rooted device – Rooting your Android device may provide the data recovery app with more access to system files.
– Connect to a PC – It may be more effective to connect your device to a computer when running the data recovery app.
Recovery Success Factors
The likelihood of successfully recovering deleted files using a data recovery app depends on several factors:
Time Since Deletion
The sooner you run data recovery after deletion, the better. As time passes, deleted files get overwritten by new data, making them unrecoverable.
Device Storage
If your device has ample free storage, deleted files are less likely to be immediately overwritten with new data. With full storage, deletion will trigger rapid overwriting.
App Capabilities
More advanced data recovery apps with features like deep scanning maximise the amount of data they can restore.
File Types
Different file types have different recovery rates. For example, JPEG images are easier to fully recover compared to Word documents.
Device Condition
Data recovery apps work best when recovering files from a functioning Android device. Damaged or corrupted devices are harder to restore data from.
When Data Recovery Fails
In some cases, data recovery apps may fail to restore deleted files from your Android device. Potential reasons include:
- Files were overwritten by new data before recovery was attempted.
- Device damage or errors are preventing access to stored data.
- Highly fragmented files are sometimes unrecoverable.
- Encrypted files used security measures the app can’t crack.
- The deletion cleared enough metadata to make recovery impossible.
If basic data recovery software can’t restore your lost Android files, you may need to try more advanced recovery methods like consulting a data recovery service. However, this can be expensive with no guarantee of success.
Preventing Data Loss
While data recovery apps can rescue deleted files in many cases, it’s better to avoid unintentional data loss in the first place. Some tips for preventing deletion and losing data on Android devices include:
- Back up your device data regularly.
- Use cloud syncing services like Google Photos to upload copies of data.
- Enable the Recycle Bin option in your device settings.
- Use antivirus software and Android security features.
- Avoid rooting your device as it increases security risks.
- Implement password and screen lock protection.
- Encrypt your device storage for an added layer of security.
Proactively taking measures to secure your data is more reliable than trusting recovery apps alone. However, recovery apps remain an option if you do happen to lose important files, photos or other irreplaceable data due to accidental deletion.
Conclusion
Recovering lost and deleted data from Android devices is possible in many cases using data recovery apps. By scanning internal storage and external SD cards, these apps can find residual traces of files marked as deleted but not yet overwritten. The best recovery apps use deep scanning, filtered results, previews and intuitive interfaces to restore your photos, documents, app data and more.
However, data recovery success depends on factors like how soon you attempt it after deletion and your device’s storage state. While no guarantee, data recovery apps like DiskDigger, EaseUS MobiSaver, Dumpster and UltData provide an accessible way to retrieve accidentally deleted Android files before it’s too late. Using caution to avoid data loss in the first place remains the surest way to protect irreplaceable information.
