Can I recover photos from a severely damaged iPhone with limited functionality?

I put my phone on the back of my car and drove off. I located it in the middle of the road, but cars were running over it. The screen is completely smashed, but it still vibrates when connected and it is receiving texts (can't see them, but they come through my watch).

I got a new phone the same day, but old one had not been backed up for close to a year.

Is there still any way to get the photos off that old phone?



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iPhone 8 Plus, iOS 16

Posted on Apr 14, 2025 6:15 PM

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Apr 14, 2025 6:19 PM in response to jaimiefrombrattleboro

Backups have to happen before the destruction.


If the iPhone was set to use iCloud Photos or iCloud backups, or both, then the data can be preserved.


If the photos are stored local or if there are no backups, then your only option is a repair, and that won’t be cheap, and the data may well not be recoverable.


There is no means to remotely start backups.

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Can I recover photos from a severely damaged iPhone with limited functionality?

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