iPhone Data Recovery
When an iPhone stops turning on, the photos, messages, and contacts inside are usually still safe. The memory chip that holds your data rarely fails on its own. What fails is the logic board around it, the part that powers the phone and lets it start. At ChipWorx we work on that board at the component level to bring the data back. Every case begins with a free diagnostic, and it is no recovery, no fee.
Free diagnostics · No recovery, no fee · Nationwide mail in
Symptoms you might be seeing
If any of this sounds familiar, power the device down and leave it off.
The phone will not power on at all, even after a full charge
It powers on but stays stuck on the Apple logo or keeps restarting
The screen stays black although the phone seems to have power
It went in water and now will not start, or started acting up days later
It gets warm at the charge port or drains as soon as you plug it in
It stopped working after a drop or a bend and has not come back on
What NOT to do right now
Stop trying to power it on or charge it over and over. Each attempt can push a recoverable phone closer to a total loss, especially after liquid.
Skip the bag of rice. It does nothing for corrosion that is already on the board, and it leaves debris in the ports.
Do not keep plugging it into a computer or charger to test it. That is one of the most common ways a recoverable phone becomes a dead one.
Do not let a shop keep swapping screens or batteries to force a boot. Repeated power attempts add wear the data does not need.
If it does briefly come on, do not reset or restore it. A restore can overwrite the very data you are trying to save.
Why it happens
What is actually going on inside the device.
An iPhone keeps your data on a NAND flash memory chip, and that chip is durable. It rarely wears out or erases itself. The failures we see almost always sit in the logic board around it, a shorted power line after a drop or a spill, a failed power management chip, a cracked solder joint, or a damaged charging circuit.
Any of these can stop the phone from powering up or booting while the data sits safely on the memory. There is one more thing that matters on modern iPhones. The data on the memory is encrypted and tied to the phone's own processor, so the memory cannot simply be moved to another phone and read.
The original processor has to stay in the picture for the data to make sense, which is why board level repair, rather than a quick chip swap, is the right approach for most iPhones.
How ChipWorx recovers it
Lab work, done in house, on the failing hardware itself.
We start with a free diagnostic to find out exactly what failed. Most iPhones we recover come back through board level repair, where we work under a microscope to fix the part that is keeping the phone from booting, whether that is a power line, the power management chip, or the charging circuit. Once the board is stable, we start the phone long enough to image the data off it.
When the board is too far gone to revive in place, we move to the chip level. Because the memory is encrypted and paired to the original processor, we move both the memory and the processor onto healthy donor hardware so the data stays readable, then pull your files from there. Either way we work from the recovered copy, not your original phone, and we send you a clear report of what we found.
It is no recovery, no fee, so the diagnostic costs you nothing and you only pay if we get your data back.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about cost, turnaround, and mail in.
My iPhone will not turn on. Is my data gone?
Usually not. A phone that will not power on almost always has a board problem, not a memory problem, so your photos and messages are still on the chip. Once we repair what failed, we can reach them. The free diagnostic tells you for sure.
Do you need my passcode to recover the data?
It helps. iPhone storage is encrypted, so once we get the phone running again it still needs your passcode to unlock, the same as it does for you every day. If you have it, share it and we can confirm the recovery. We keep it confidential and only use it for your case.
Can you recover a water damaged iPhone?
Often, yes. Water rarely destroys the memory itself. The harm is corrosion on the board. We clean the board and repair the parts the liquid damaged, then image the data. The sooner it comes in the better, since corrosion keeps spreading.
What can you actually recover?
Photos and videos, messages, contacts, notes, and app data, whatever was on the phone when it stopped working. We return it to you on fresh media.
How do I send it in, and what does it cost to find out?
The diagnostic is free. Start a request and we send you a prepaid shipping label. Once it arrives we diagnose it and tell you what failed, whether we can recover it, and what it costs, before any work begins. No recovery, no fee.
Your data is worth a look. Let’s recover it.
Free diagnostics, no recovery no fee. Mail it in from anywhere in the US.
Recovery outcomes vary with the type and severity of the damage, and we cannot guarantee successful recovery in every case. Work on an already failing device carries some risk of further damage. You always get an honest assessment and a quote before any work begins.
Other recoveries we handle: