Phone Data Recovery in Chicago

When a phone dies, the photos are usually still there. They sit on a storage chip on the main board, and that chip is rarely what failed. Data recovery in Chicago mostly comes down to getting a broken phone to run one more time, long enough to copy everything off. That's board-level work, and we do it in house at 1927 W Chicago Ave in West Town.

We take phones, tablets, and Mac and Windows computers. Computer recovery is $200. Phone pricing depends on the fault, so we quote it once we have looked. If you need to recover photos from a dead phone, keep it powered off, don't keep trying to charge it, and call (773) 741-6682.

Check your backups first

Before you pay anyone, find out whether your data is already safe. A lot of people are surprised.

• iPhone. Sign in at iCloud.com on a computer and look in Photos. Then look under Settings on another device, in your Apple account, for iCloud backups.
• Android. Look at photos.google.com and drive.google.com. Samsung owners can also check Samsung Cloud.
• Computer. Look for Finder or iTunes backups on your Mac or PC, and any external drive you used with Time Machine.

If it's all there, you may just need a repair or a new phone. If it isn't, stop here and don't factory reset anything. An erased phone can't be recovered by anyone.

How phone data recovery works

Modern phones encrypt their storage, and the key is tied to that phone's own processor. We can't pull the chip and read it in another device, so the phone itself has to run. We find what stopped it, like a shorted part or a damaged power line, and repair it with micro soldering. Once it boots, you unlock it, and we copy your data off.

The repair doesn't need to last. Sometimes a board will run for ten minutes, and ten minutes is enough. That's why recovery can succeed on a phone that can't be saved as a phone.

What are your chances?

We can't give you a percentage, and you should be wary of anyone who does before opening the device. We can tell you what tends to help or hurt.

Good odds. A phone with a broken screen, a dead charging port or a failed battery. The board is healthy, and we just need a working way in.

Fair odds. Water damage reached quickly, or a phone that died after a drop. A board fault like this is often repairable.

Hard cases. A phone that spent weeks wet, a bent board, repeated attempts by other repair people, or a storage chip that has failed. A failed main processor or storage chip usually means the data is gone.

No chance. A phone that has been factory reset, or one where you don't know the passcode. The encryption can't be worked around, by us or anyone else.

Computers and hard drives

On a Mac or Windows computer that won't start, the drive is often fine. If it's a removable drive, we can read it in another machine and copy your files across. Newer MacBooks are harder, because storage is soldered to the board and encrypted. Those get the same treatment as a phone: repair the board, then copy the data. If FileVault is on, you will need your password.

We aren't a clean room lab. If your hard drive clicks, grinds or isn't spinning, turn it off and find a lab that opens drives in clean air. That's a different kind of work and it's priced differently. Our data recovery services are aimed at devices where the fault is electronic.

What it costs, and what if nothing comes back

Data recovery on Mac and Windows computers is $200. Phone recovery reads Call for price, because a phone with a dead port and a phone that sat in a lake are very different jobs. Three things affect the quote: the type of fault, how long the board work takes, and how much data needs to come off.

We settle what you owe if the data can't be recovered before any work starts, so there's no surprise afterward. See our pricing page and warranty and policies.

Privacy

Your files are personal. Tell us what you want back, and that's what we go after. We don't go through your photos or messages. We check that files copied properly, and that's it. You get your data back on a drive or moved to a new device. Your passcode may be needed to copy files once the phone starts, and if you'd rather enter it yourself, you can do that at the counter.

iPhone data recovery in Chicago, or by mail

For data recovery in Chicago, drop off during open hours, and it helps to bring any charger, cable or computer password you think we'll need. Anywhere else in the US, mail your device to us. Start the form and we will send you the steps. If your phone went in water, read water damage repair first, because the steps in the first hour matter. If you need a phone repair after your data is safe, we can do that too. Our guide on recovering data from a dead phone goes through more options.