iPhone 6(S)/Plus Recover data after factory reset

[Juan12345]

Hello everyone,

Unfortunately, my iPhone 6s stopped working yesterday and I couldn't reboot it using the Update option from iTunes, so I had to recover it using the factory reset. I didn't have a backup for my last couple of days, and I lost 1 important photo and 1 important WhatsApp message.

How can I recover them? I really need that information.

Thank you very much,

J

 

[ericwn]

If you don’t have a backup there’s nothing to recover.

 

[Juan12345]

Technically, it should be some possibility to recover everything. When you do a factory reset, the data is not overwritten until you overwrite it

 

[Apple_Robert]

Technically, it should be some possibility to recover everything. When you do a factory reset, the data is not overwritten until you overwrite it

Unless you want to pay someone more than what you paid for the phone to do a recovery attempt, your data is gone.

 

[eyoungren]

Technically, it should be some possibility to recover everything. When you do a factory reset, the data is not overwritten until you overwrite it

You're coming from a computer perspective, which tends to be the case for computers.

But when you set up an iDevice, everything stored on it is encrypted. The key to the encryption is specific to your device and only your device has it.

When you restore, the old key is forgotten, the storage is overwritten and re-encrypted with a new key generated and stored. Even if you could recover your old data you no longer have the encryption key for it - so it's all gobbledygook.

There is some hope, I suppose. If it's that important to you there are Data Savers out there who charge thousands of dollars.

 

[Juan12345]

Well, thousands of dollars would be too expensive (and hundreds of dollars too) haha. But do you know any of them, or forum or something?

 

[rui no onna]

You're coming from a computer perspective, which tends to be the case for computers.

But when you set up an iDevice, everything stored on it is encrypted. The key to the encryption is specific to your device and only your device has it.

When you restore, the old key is forgotten, the storage is overwritten and re-encrypted with a new key generated and stored. Even if you could recover your old data you no longer have the encryption key for it - so it's all gobbledygook.

There is some hope, I suppose. If it's that important to you there are Data Savers out there who charge thousands of dollars.

And really, this is true for SSDs. Once a location has been TRIMmed and garbage collected, good luck recovering data via software.

 

[Juan12345]

And whatsapp? Maybe they have some backup or something (I know it's encrypted, but idk)

 

[now i see it]

Your data is gone.

 

[eyoungren]

Well, thousands of dollars would be too expensive (and hundreds of dollars too) haha. But do you know any of them, or forum or something?

I'm only aware that there are services out there that *may* be able to do recovery if you are willing to spend through the nose.

If that isn't anything you can do then you're out of luck. No professional is going to do this at an extreme discount or pro bono, so the only people you might find are hackers or the kid next door that's 'good with computers' And good luck with that.

 

[eyoungren]

And really, this is true for SSDs. Once a location has been TRIMmed and garbage collected, good luck recovering data via software.

I've lost enough data over the years that backups and not storing all my eggs in one basket are important things to me now.

 

[Phil77354]

Unfortunately, the lesson here is that this is why keeping your devices set to automatically backup to the cloud is worthwhile. Anyone who has had one of these devices for a few years will have had occasion to restore from the cloud backup, and those occasions are not predictable. Painful to learn it this way, but I trust that you will be doing that in the future?

 

[now i see it]

What I've leaned over the years — is that most data really isn't that important - and I've lost plenty of it.
As time goes on after a loss, its importance diminishes until eventually, years later, it doesn't matter at all — and the best part — you eventually forget what it was that you lost — so in the end .... It never existed in the first place.

I don't care anymore if I lose data (unless it's work related for a project). All of it gets forgotten eventually anyway

 

[eyoungren]

Unfortunately, the lesson here is that this is why keeping your devices set to automatically backup to the cloud is worthwhile. Anyone who has had one of these devices for a few years will have had occasion to restore from the cloud backup, and those occasions are not predictable. Painful to learn it this way, but I trust that you will be doing that in the future?

I would just add that diversifying is good too. For instance, OP is missing an important photo. Had that been on my phone, the Dropbox app would have uploaded it (in addition to being in a backup). So that photo would be sitting safe on Dropbox.

Don't depend on just one backup solution.

 

[eyoungren]

What I've leaned over the years — is that most data really isn't that important - and I've lost plenty of it.
As time goes on after a loss, its importance diminishes until eventually, years later, it doesn't matter at all — and the best part — you eventually forget what it was that you lost — so in the end .... It never existed in the first place.

I don't care anymore if I lose data (unless it's work related for a project). All of it gets forgotten eventually anyway

I wouldn't quite go that far, but I will say that a huge majority of the photos I take on my phone(s) are insignificant. They get backed up anyway, but I really do NOT care about that one image I took six years ago so my wife could choose which brand of tartar sauce she wanted me to get at Walmart. Other things are similar, such as texts and emails (and my email is IMAP so it's not stored on my phones). Anything important enough to discuss and become something to 'archive' is done face to face with my wife so there's no record of it anyway.

 

[Phil77354]

I would just add that diversifying is good too. For instance, OP is missing an important photo. Had that been on my phone, the Dropbox app would have uploaded it (in addition to being in a backup). So that photo would be sitting safe on Dropbox.

Don't depend on just one backup solution.

Good point. I personally don't use Dropbox, I've done my best to get by with the standard and free apps, and it looks like Dropbox is well past my threshold for purchase! I say that with full knowledge that I'm not taking full advantage of the many apps out there that do have real value, but so far it's working for me!

 

[Apple_Robert]

I don't backup to the Cloud. That way, Apple (and other entities) don't have access to my personal information. I use iMazing and encrypt my backup. I can then safely put it in a Cloud location should I need to and still be secure for my eyes only.

 

[RRC]

I don't backup to the Cloud. That way, Apple (and other entities) don't have access to my personal information. I use iMazing and encrypted my backup. I can then safely put it in a Cloud location should I need to and still be secure for my eyes only.

Your backups using iCloud are encrypted…

Probably more so than a third party like iMazing. Apple don’t want your data, they aren’t Google.

 

[eyoungren]

Good point. I personally don't use Dropbox, I've done my best to get by with the standard and free apps, and it looks like Dropbox is well past my threshold for purchase! I say that with full knowledge that I'm not taking full advantage of the many apps out there that do have real value, but so far it's working for me!

Dropbox has a free tier and you get 2GB of data for that. I started with them some time in 2011 I think. At various times they've had ways to add data, so by the time I actually purchased a plan with them I already had 12GB of free data.

Box is another service. During one promo I grabbed 50GB free. I just don't use them much because unlike Dropbox they limit how much you can upload at any given time.

 

[eyoungren]

Your backups using iCloud are encrypted…

Probably more so than a third party like iMazing. Apple don’t want your data, they aren’t Google.

There's a third party service out there for Dropbox that lets you encrypt anything on Dropbox. They have a free tier. There are also other ways, such as using encrypted disk images to drop your stuff into. Google may have a file -but it'd be an encrypted disk image.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Your backups using iCloud are encrypted…

Probably more so than a third party like iMazing. Apple don’t want your data, they aren’t Google.

I am not suggesting Apple actively looks. I know that isn't the case. My point (in brevity) was that I don't want Apple to be put in a position where my information has to be turned over, or one day my account gets compromised due to some day one flaw etc.

I use Cryptomator.

 

[EmotionalSnow]

And whatsapp? Maybe they have some backup or something (I know it's encrypted, but idk)

WhatsApp does not have backups of your messages, not even in encrypted form.

 

[now i see it]

Your backups using iCloud are encrypted…

iCloud backups are definitely NOT encrypted.
The first thing the FBI (or law enforcement) does is serve a warrant to apple for a suspect's iCloud account. If the warrant warrants it, Apple provides iCloud backup data to law enforcement. It happens ALL the time on a daily basis (like thousands of requests per year).

The only thing encrypted is the data on the actual iOS device (iPhone/iPad) everything on Apple's servers is NOT.

 

[JPack]

Well, thousands of dollars would be too expensive (and hundreds of dollars too) haha. But do you know any of them, or forum or something?

The cost of data recovery in this case is closer to tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

 

[Apple_Robert]

iCloud backups are definitely NOT encrypted.
The first thing the FBI (or law enforcement) does is serve a warrant to apple for a suspect's iCloud account. If the warrant warrants it, Apple provides iCloud backup data to law enforcement. It happens ALL the time on a daily basis (like thousands of requests per year).

The only thing encrypted is the data on the actual iOS device (iPhone/iPad) everything on Apple's servers is NOT.

iCloud data security overview - Apple Support

iCloud uses strong security methods, employs strict policies to protect your information, and leads the industry in using privacy-preserving security technologies like end-to-end encryption for your data.

support.apple.com