Chosen Solution

I am wondering if anyone can help. My phone got water-damaged (while being in a LifeProof case!). It will not turn on. When plugged into a wall it shows the USB / ITunes icon (recovery mode). When I plug it into the computer, nothing happens (nothing on the screen, no recognition by the computer). I desperately need to get data off it (photos and some app data). I called a few data recovery places and got all sorts of answers and quotes. The most concerning “answer” I got stated that the symptoms imply that the IOS itself is gone and getting data off is impossible because of security / encryption issues. At this point I am really confused and don’t want to spend absurd amounts of money. Can anyone tell me anything definitive or possibly recommend a trusted and competent data recovery place? THANKS! PS My data was not backed up to a cloud because I was in an area with no reception / data connection for several months.

If you want your data back and it is critical, first and foremost stop plugging it into any kind of power plug or computer. Providing power to a liquid damaged board can only cause more issues and make the recovery less likely. Second, don’t let anyone near your phone unless they are data recovery experts from iOS devices (iPhones/iPads). Repairing devices for the sake of using the device is completely different from repairing it to extract data. I’ve seen many cases where 60 minutes of work would have sufficed me to extract data, but had to spend 2-3 days worth of labor to repair what someone else inflicted. Third, most data recovery companies know nothing about recovering data from dead iOS devices. They often try a couple of basic things and quit or send it off to someone specialized in iOS (iPhone, iPad) and iPod) and mark up when they get it back. So you’d better find someone specialized in iPhone/iPad data recovery. Oh and data cannot be replaced by a trip to the Apple Store. You need to get it off your device and often only get one shot at it. Finally, time is of essence. The sooner the device is opened and cleaned and processes, the better.

It is difficult to say without being able to inspect the device myself, best case scenario the lightning port flex cable needs to be replaced which is why the computer is not recognising it. This is a simple job which any repair shop should be able to do for you. Otherwise there may be damage on the logic board which can either be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol (again any repair store should be able to do this) or it may need some micro soldering work to recover the data which is quite a bit more tricky. My recommendation is to take it to your local repair store and get them to inspect the device to see if they can recover the data by cleaning the board and replacing the flex cable. Make sure you stress that you want to recover the data and not restore the device!!. If that is unsuccessful then you could try sending it in to iPad rehab (http://mendonipadrehab.com) or somewhere similar to see if they can recover the data for you.

Nobody can know for sure unless we see the internals of your phone and attempt to repair it. It’s not possible to get a definitive answer here.

First and for most Stop plugging it in keep it away from power and do not try and turn it on… these are your 1st steps if you can go without trying to turn it on and get it open as fast as possible set out a white towl and start dismantling it… First thing is get the batter disconnected soon as possible… If you do this and get moisture cleaned out you will have a chance on bringing a drowned phone back to life.. but only if very quickly power gets removed and parts come out for drying. in just few hours you would not believe the corrosion that begins. I still today use a phone that went in the swamp in my pocket was over my head so the darn thing for sure got soaked water was actually running out of it when I got out the water regardless I powered it down and held it strait up and down so water would drain as good as possible.and got it opened and cleaned and dry. that was a year ago still works today but ya gotta open it up and start drying … and hope you have not been trying to plug it in at al cause if so there is little hope……what area are you located in?

Try to use some data recovery program to assist you, such as iPhone Data Recovery. it could scan your phone and display your data, including the deleted and existing data, so that you could recover them selectively. so you could install free type one and try to use it, so you could understand whether this toolkit could help you to recover your data you need,then you could decide whether to buy it. this toolkit is really propriate for you. Read the following article about how to do it for more details if you need. Hoping it will work for you and you could recover data from water-damaged iPhone successfully.Good luck to you!!:D

Hello There, As you have told your device is unable to turn on that means you can not use the software. Remove your battery, memory card immediately and try to connect after some time. If still the problem and you want to recover data then you can find and obtain Data Recovery Services.

i think you need to get professional check first to know exactly want the problem is. Try this, they do free diagnostic.