I have an old phone that won't turn on or charge, and I'm hoping to back up my photos and other documents from it. Is there any way to retrieve those files without getting the phone to power on?
5 Answers
You could also look into something called "microsoldering". Some repair shops specialize in this and can diagnose issues on the motherboard more effectively. I had success with it once, but be ready to possibly send it out for service.
Unfortunately, if your phone won't turn on, you'll likely need to repair it to get your data back, especially for modern devices that have encryption. That’s usually the only way to access the files. Just a heads up!
Before going through repairs, check if your photos are synced to a cloud service like Google Photos or iCloud. You might find them there without needing to power on your phone.
Data retrieval almost always requires the device to be powered on. I'd recommend taking it to a repair shop where they can fix it up for you.
If it’s completely dead, consider finding a tech repair shop. They can pull the flash memory and get the data out, but keep in mind that it's not a straightforward process, especially if the data is encrypted.
Phones don't actually have hard drives; they use flash memory. And remember that the data is usually encrypted, so there's no magic solution for accessing it.
Bummer. Will do.