How to get back deleted data on Android smartphone

Often there are situations when you accidentally delete something from your smartphone. This usually happens with photographs. It seems that now they can not be returned. But no. If you come to your senses in time, then you can perform special actions that will still return the deleted data.

Main problem

Surely you know that the computer allows you to recover deleted files without much difficulty. They can be found in the «Basket» if you have not cleaned it before. Or you can use a special program that will try to return data that is no longer in the «Basket». Success is not achieved 100% of the time, but at least you can try. In the case of Android, things are somewhat more complicated.

Once upon a time, a smartphone could be connected to a computer in the manner of a USB flash drive — the device was defined as a removable drive. This made it possible to recover deleted files with the aforementioned programs, originally designed for a PC. Now everything, alas, is not so. For some time now, Android does not allow the smartphone to be defined as a drive. Because of this, the old software has become meaningless — it simply does not recognize the connected device. This is what complicates data recovery the most. You have to use either synchronization with a cloud service, or a special program, or superuser rights, which are not available on every device.

Search files in the Google cloud

Perhaps the easiest way to recover files is to find them in Google cloud storage. Now the operating system can synchronize many types of data. The search can be carried out both on the smartphone itself and using a computer — do not forget to enter the username and password from your Google account. You should search at the following addresses:

1. 1. contacts.google.com — This is where your contact book is stored. However, contacts stored on the SIM card will not be included here! That is why we recommend not to use such an old-fashioned method of saving them.

       

 

1. 1. play.google.com — as such, there are no files here. But on the other hand, you can find out exactly which programs and games were installed on your smartphone. Only those applications that were downloaded from other sources will not be here.

       

 

1. 1. mail.google.com — contains all your emails received using the Gmail service. Deleted emails are in the «Trash» section.

       

 

1. 1. photos.google.com — copies of the photos you take are uploaded here. But only if you have activated the appropriate synchronization!

       

 

1. 1. drive.google.com is a Google Drive service. It may contain your documents and spreadsheets, especially if you opened them with Google office applications. Also, there may be backup copies of some applications.

       

 

By the way, you can create an archive of most of the contents of your smartphone at any time. This can be done on the takeout.google.com website — you need to go to it from your smartphone. Here it is enough to click the «Create archive» button, after which it remains to select the data you need. In the future, you can easily restore all files from this archive. However, practice shows that constant synchronization is enough, which you must have activated in your smartphone settings.

Use of a PC and special programs

If synchronization with Google servers was not carried out, then everything is much more complicated. Also, problems may arise with those files that are not sent to the cloud storage. For example, in the case of photos, only those taken by the built-in camera are synchronized. If you received images via Bluetooth or downloaded them from the Internet, they remain exclusively on the device. And if you accidentally deleted them, recovery will require serious effort.

We recommend that you use a computer, as well as one or another program. A fairly large number of applications have now been created that can scan the memory of a smartphone or tablet for deleted files. Unfortunately, there is no universal software. Some programs work with some models, others with others. Therefore, you have to download and install several programs — you may have to try each of them.

Another problem is that the developers of such software want to get paid for using their product. No, some apps are free. But many are still paid. Think for yourself what is more precious to your heart: a relatively small amount or deleted data. In this case, you are unlikely to pay for nothing. Usually, the program first scans the device’s memory. And if there are any deleted files, it displays a list of them. Well, already before their restoration there is a request to pay.

So, here is an almost complete list of applications that can return deleted data from a smartphone running Android:

1. 1. EaseUS MobiSaver — a simple program that works with smartphones based on Android 5.0 and later versions of this operating system. Recovers contacts, documents, messages and all kinds of media files. There is a free trial, the purchase of the application will cost $39.95.

       

 

1. 1. Wondershare Dr.Fone — this program can save not only in case of accidental deletion of files, but also in case of display failure, rooting errors and other atypical problems. Compatible with the «green robot» since its version 2.3. As expected, there is a trial version. A yearly license will cost $39.95, while a perpetual license is priced at $49.95.

       

 

1. 1. FonePaw Android Data Recovery — another program that tries to return to the user his messages, call log, contact list and multimedia. It is stated that the utility scans memory faster than others, but in practice it all depends on the version of the connector located on the device and the cable used. Almost all versions of Android are supported — starting from 2.3. The trial version is largely limited.

       

 

1. 1. Jihosoft Android Phone Recovery — Another relatively easy-to-learn program that serves to recover a wide variety of data contained on a smartphone. Like many other utilities of this kind, this one supports devices based on the «green robot» starting from its version 2.3. A distinctive feature of the application is the availability of a version for Mac OS. However, some competitors can also boast of it — we just don’t focus on it. You can try the program in action for free. The full version will require a payment of $49.95.

       

 

1. 1. iCare Recovery — the developers of this program position their creation as free. Indeed, you can safely use the basic recovery without paying a dime. Some advanced features will also be available — for example, scanning all possible files in each block of memory. However, they are available only in the Pro version, which is also free, but can only recover up to 1 GB of files. The regular version of the program can return more data, but it cannot work with a memory card of 32 GB or more. Well, if you want to get rid of all the restrictions, if you please pay $69.

       

 

1. 1. Tenorshare Android Data Recovery — another program that can recover data from smartphones based on a variety of versions of Android, up to the latest. Like other applications already considered, it does not require root. You can return SMS, and call log, and multimedia, and documents, and much more. You can install the program not only on Windows, but also on Mac OS. The free version is traditionally limited. Therefore, it is better to think about buying the full version.  But at the same time, it will be possible to recover data from only five devices. A larger number of them implies the commercial operation of the application, so this option will cost significantly more.

       

 

1. 1. iMobile PhoneRescue — this program can also be used to recover the data contained on your device. It is also very easy to learn. It can be used to return messages, call log, documents, media files, and more. The trial version is very limited, and the paid version costs $39.99 for a year. There is also a lifetime option for one PC, priced at $49.99. The price tag for a business license starts at $299.

       

 

In a word, the list turned out to be notable. You just have to try at least a few of these programs in action. Their descriptions usually say that applications are able to return data from absolutely any smartphone or tablet. But above we have already mentioned that in fact this is not the case. Therefore, all programs have a trial version.

As for the use of any of the considered utilities, then nothing complicated awaits you. Even despite the fact that many applications have an English-language interface. You only need to connect your smartphone with a USB cable, and then start the memory scanning process in the program. Well, then it remains to restore the files you need, if they have not yet been overwritten with new data.

Dedicated smartphone apps

If you are hoping to get back your lost files without involving a computer, then we are in a hurry to disappoint you. You can do this, but only if you have root rights. Alas, they are often not available to owners of new devices. However, we still recommend trying to download and install
Framaroot, especially if you are using a device that is not the first freshness. This program will grant root rights literally with the click of a button, if your smartphone model is supported by it. If your device is unfamiliar to the application, you will have to carry out a more complicated process, or else accept the fact that «rooting» will fail. However, this is not the topic of this article.

Since the aforementioned utility is not available on Google Play, do not forget to activate the “Allow installation of applications from unknown sources” item in the device settings. Otherwise, you will be able to download the apk file, but you will not be able to install it.

So, if you have root rights (they are also called superuser rights), then you can use the application
GT Recovery. We draw your attention to the fact that it will also have to be downloaded from a third-party site — it is not available on Google Play. If you don’t want to do this, you can install
undeleter — another program, a little less advanced.

Whatever choice you make, you need to run the «Deep Scan» in the application. During this process, the utility will check the entire file system for deleted data. If any of them can be restored, this will be immediately reported.

Tips for the future

As you have noticed, the recovery of certain files is associated with certain difficulties. That is why we recommend foreseeing them in advance by spreading straws for yourself. When buying a new smartphone, ask about the presence of the «Basket» function in it. To be more precise, the «Gallery» should have it. If it is available, deleted photos and videos will be stored on the device for another month, during which they can be safely returned. For example, new Samsung smartphones and tablets have this feature. Its only trouble is that, for example, documents and musical compositions are not saved in the «Basket».

If your smartphone does not have this function, you can organize it through a third-party application. For example, Dumpster does an excellent job with this task. This program works great without any root access. After installing it, all the photos and videos you delete will be sent to Dumpster. As long as you don’t clean up the program, the files can be easily recovered. Well, the paid version of the application provides access to cloud storage, which will play the role of the «Basket». This will still free up memory on the device when you delete something. As for the free version, it suffers from the only drawback, which is displaying ads.

Conclusion

Once again, we remind you that you need to hurry when restoring data. Road every minute! You should also understand that no one guarantees you a 100% return of deleted documents or media data. It is possible that some memory segments have already been overwritten. In this case, there is nothing to be done — it remains only to accept.