With smartphones now being most people’s primary cameras, it’s very easy to accumulate a lot of meaningful photos and videos. However, it’s also easy to accidentally delete photos you wanted to keep, whether by your own hand or a software glitch. When this happens, it can feel like those memories are lost forever.
This is where photo recovery apps come in. These apps specialize in retrieving photos and videos that have been deleted from your device’s storage. Some work even if you emptied the trash or recycle bin. The key is that they can still recover deleted files as long as that space hasn’t been over-written with new data.
For anyone who has experienced the sinking feeling of losing important photos or videos, a recovery app may seem like a lifesaver. Being able to resurrect those memories, especially meaningful ones like family events or vacations, is invaluable to many people.
Popular Photo Recovery Apps
There are many photo recovery apps available for both Android and iOS devices. Some of the most popular and highly rated options include:
DiskDigger – This free Android app can recover lost or deleted photos, videos, and other files from internal memory, SD cards, and external storage. It’s easy to use with a basic interface. DiskDigger is often ranked as one of the best free photo recovery apps for Android [1].
iMyFone D-Back – Available for both iOS and Android, this paid recovery app offers customizable scanning to target different file types and storage locations. It can recover camera roll photos, Whatsapp images, and more. iMyFone D-Back is noted for its deep scan capabilities and high recovery success rates.
Recuva – This Windows software is one of the most popular paid photo recovery apps for computers. It can recover deleted files from hard drives, external devices, and memory cards. Recuva offers a free trial and deep scan features.
Stellar – Stellar provides data recovery software for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. Their photo recovery apps can restore deleted or lost images, videos, and other media files. Stellar is a paid professional-grade recovery solution.
EaseUS – With versions for mobile and desktop, EaseUS offers an intuitive interface and robust scanning. It’s consistently ranked among the top data and photo recovery apps. EaseUS provides different packages based on capability and device type.
Remo Recover – Available for Android, iOS, and Windows, Remo Recover provides basic quick scans and advanced deep scanning. It can recover photos, videos, audios, documents and more from internal and external storage. Remo Recover is easy to use while still offering advanced options.
How Photo Recovery Apps Work
Photo recovery apps work by scanning storage media like hard drives, SD cards, and phones for files that have been deleted. Even when a photo is deleted, the data that makes up the photo often still exists on the storage device until it gets overwritten by new data. Photo recovery apps are designed to find these deleted photo files before they get overwritten.
The photo recovery app will scan the entire storage device sector-by-sector looking for traces of deleted photo data. When it finds a deleted photo file, it retrieves the photo data so the photo can be restored. The app is able to reconstruct the photo file even if the original file allocation table no longer points to it.
After scanning, the photo recovery app will display all photos it found that have been deleted. You can preview and select which deleted photos you want to actually recover. Once selected, the app will retrieve the photo data and reconstruct the image files so you can access them again through your regular photo library and storage.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_recovery
https://www.systweak.com/blogs/photos-recovery-work/
Types of Deleted Photos Apps Can Recover
Photo recovery apps are often able to retrieve many different types of deleted photos from Android devices, including:
Photos Deleted from Camera Roll – These include photos taken with the device’s camera and saved to the camera roll or gallery. Deleting them from the gallery does not permanently erase them initially.
Photos Deleted from Apps – Photos shared in apps like WhatsApp or Facebook can be recovered if deleted within the app. The original files may still be accessible.
Photos Lost Due to System Issues – A factory reset, OS update failure, or system crash can cause photos to become inaccessible. Recovery apps can help retrieve them.
Formatted Storage Media – Inserting an SD card or external storage that was formatted does not immediately overwrite the deleted photos. Apps can scan the raw storage and restore lost files.
Recovery success depends on factors like how long ago deletion occurred and whether any new data was saved that overwrote the lost files. The sooner an app can scan the device, the better the chances.[1]
Factors That Affect Recovery Success
There are several key factors that determine the likelihood of successfully recovering permanently deleted photos from a smartphone:
How soon after deletion the recovery is attempted is one of the most important factors. The longer a photo has been deleted, the more likely the storage space it previously occupied has been overwritten by new data. Trying to recover right after deletion gives the best odds.
If the device continues to be actively used and large amounts of data are saved, the deleted photos will be overwritten quicker. Refraining from taking new photos or downloading apps and files will help preserve deleted data.
Where the deleted photos were stored also matters. Photos deleted from external SD cards have a better chance of recovery than those deleted from internal storage, which tends to fill up faster.
In general, the more a device is used after deletion occurs, the lower the chances of recovery become. Acting quickly after accidental deletion and avoiding overwriting by saving new data are key to success.
Tips for Improving Chances of Recovery
There are a few steps you can take to increase the likelihood of successfully recovering deleted photos from your Android device:
Stop using the device immediately after deletion. As soon as you realize photos have been deleted, stop taking new photos or downloading apps. Continued usage of the device can overwrite the deleted data and make it unrecoverable.
Recover from external SD card if possible. If the deleted photos were stored on an external SD card, remove the card from the device immediately and use a recovery app on another device to scan the card. This isolates the deleted data and prevents overwriting.
Use the recovery app as soon as possible after deletion. The sooner you run the recovery app, the better chance it has of finding deleted files before they are overwritten by new data. Don’t continue using the device while waiting to do recovery.
Paid vs Free Photo Recovery Apps
When it comes to choosing between paid and free photo recovery apps, there are some key differences to consider.
Free photo recovery apps often limit the number of photos you can recover, or the types of files that can be restored. For example, the free version of Stellar Photo Recovery only allows recovery of up to 1GB of data. The free version of Wise Data Recovery does not support RAW photo formats. Free apps may also not work for data recovery from all devices or operating systems.
Paid versions of photo recovery software can recover more photos and more file formats. Paid apps like Dr. Fone offer unlimited data recovery. Paid software also often works across more devices and operating systems. For example, a premium license of Disk Drill can recover data from Windows, Mac OS, iOS and Android devices.
Ultimately, free photo recovery apps can meet basic needs, but for more comprehensive recovery, especially from mobile devices, a paid app may be required. The cost of paid software is usually reasonable for the convenience of recovering lost photos.
Alternative Ways to Recover Photos
If you don’t have a photo recovery app installed or don’t have success using one, there are some other options for trying to recover deleted photos:
From cloud backups like Google Photos – If you had your photos backup up to a cloud service like Google Photos before they were deleted, you may be able to restore them from there. Google Photos has a trash folder where deleted photos are stored for 60 days before being permanently deleted. So check there if it’s been less than 60 days.
Using data recovery services – For very important photos you can’t recover through other means, there are professional data recovery services that may be able to retrieve deleted data from your device. This involves shipping your device to their lab for analysis. Costs vary but can easily be $500+ (Source: https://www.androidpolice.com/recover-deleted-photos-without-backup-sponsored/)
Restoring from a device backup – If you had your device set up to backup locally or to a computer, you may be able to restore to that backup from before the photos were deleted. This would retrieve the photos, though you may lose any data/changes made since the last backup.
Precautions to Avoid Needing Recovery
The best way to avoid needing to recover deleted photos is to take preventative measures:
Back up photos regularly – Copy photos to an external hard drive, SD card, or cloud storage. That way if photos are accidentally deleted from your device, they are safely stored elsewhere. Consider auto-backup options like Google Photos to effortlessly sync all photos.
Confirm deletions cautiously – When deleting photos in your gallery, carefully verify that you are selecting the intended images. Avoid mass select + delete. Go slowly and double check before confirming the deletion.
Use cloud syncing services like Google Photos – Enable auto-sync on your device so photos are automatically backed up to the cloud. Google Photos, Dropbox, iCloud and others allow easy restoration of deleted photos if needed.
With regular backups, cautious deletions, and cloud syncing enabled, you likely can avoid ever needing to utilize photo recovery apps and services.
Conclusion
In summary, there are several good photo recovery apps available if you find yourself needing to retrieve deleted photos. Some popular options include DiskDigger, Recuva, and Stellar Photo Recovery. While the free versions of these apps provide basic recovery capabilities, upgrading to the paid pro versions unlocks more advanced features and improves your chances of restoring permanently deleted files.
These apps leverage scan and restore technologies to comb through your storage devices in search of recoverable photo data. The success rate depends on several factors, like how long ago deletion occurred. But in many cases, at least some photos can be rescued. It’s also possible to recover deleted photos using cloud backups or data recovery services.
The easiest way to avoid needing photo recovery is practicing preventative measures. Enable the “recently deleted” album on your phone, frequently back up your photos to the cloud and external drives, and avoid using permanent deletion options unless absolutely necessary. Should your photos still get deleted, however, recovery apps provide a last line of defense against total data loss.