How to save photos from a cracked or drowned phone

You can buy a new phone, but not photos of your kids, your chats and documents. If there was no backup, here's what to do.

First, check the cloud

Your data may already be safe: - iPhone: go to icloud.com on a computer and check Photos, Notes, Contacts. - Android: photos.google.com and your Google account. - Telegram keeps chats on its servers, so log in from another device. For WhatsApp, check whether there was a backup.

Cracked screen, but the phone works

Connect the iPhone to a computer it already trusts and back it up via Finder/iTunes.
On Android you can connect a mouse with an OTG adapter and control the phone even if touch doesn't work.
The most reliable route is to temporarily fit a working screen, make a backup, and then decide whether to repair the phone.

The phone won't turn on

Don't keep trying to charge and switch it on, especially after water. From here it's a job for a technician: often the problem is one part on the board (power, the port, the battery), and after fixing it the phone turns on with the data intact.

After water

Speed matters: corrosion damages the board more every day. The sooner the board is cleaned, the better the chance of getting the data. See Phone fell in water.

What to know

On modern iPhones and most Android phones data is encrypted and tied to the board. The memory can't be moved to another phone: this phone has to be brought back at least to the point of turning on.
So "take it apart and pull out the memory chip", as with old phones, no longer works, and no honest technician will promise it.
You'll need the phone's passcode to make a backup.

How we help

First we run diagnostics and tell you whether there's a chance (a phone inspection is free, and if board diagnostics are needed they cost 100 ₾, only if you decline the repair). If there is, we restore the phone just enough to make a backup, and quote the price in advance. More: data recovery.

Tip for the future: turn on automatic backup to iCloud or Google. Two minutes now can save all your photos one day.