My phone screen started showing stripes and glitches on Saturday, and a repair shop found an impact spot in the corner. Before I could get it repaired, the display went completely black. I received a replacement phone through my insurance claim, but I still need to transfer data from the old phone. Is there a way to mirror the old phone to a PC monitor or otherwise control it when I can no longer see the screen?
3 Answers
The most dependable option may be a repair shop that can temporarily install a working screen, or replace the damaged display long enough to unlock the phone and copy your files. For the future, automatic cloud backups and occasional computer backups can prevent this kind of data-access problem.
If the phone supports video output over USB-C, you may be able to use a USB-C-to-HDMI adapter or dock and connect it to a monitor. This only works on models with DisplayPort Alt Mode, though, and some phones require you to unlock them or approve the connection first.
scrcpy can mirror and control many Android phones over USB, but USB debugging must already have been enabled and the computer usually needs to have been authorized. If you cannot see or interact with the phone, it probably will not work unless that setup was done previously.

Would scrcpy still work if I never got the chance to enable or approve USB debugging because the display stopped working?