The Complete Guide to Recovering Lost iOS Data with PhoneRescue

Accidentally losing data stored on your iPhone or iPad can be devastating. From photos and messages to contacts, notes, and app data, our mobile devices contain precious memories and information we never want to misplace.

But fear not – with the right data recovery solution, you can get back lost iOS files and avoid digital disaster. One of the most powerful tools for the job is PhoneRescue by iMobie.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore how to use PhoneRescue to recover recently deleted files, retrieve data from broken or crashed devices, rescue wayward documents, and protect your data going forward.

What Exactly is PhoneRescue?

PhoneRescue is iOS data recovery software developed specifically for restoring lost or deleted content from iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices.

The app is designed and offered by iMobie, a leading software company behind popular iOS utilities like AnyTrans, iTransor, and iToolab. With over 10 years experience building tools optimized for Apple products, they are experts when it comes to iPhone data safety.

PhoneRescue thoroughly scans your device or backups for residual data signatures from deleted content across 35+ different file types. This includes photos, messages, contacts, notes, call history, documents, and data from popular apps like WhatsApp and WeChat.

Using advanced recovery algorithms, PhoneRescue can extract these data traces and rebuild the original files so you can rescue these memories and transfer them back where they belong.

The app supports all iOS devices running iPhone 5s or higher. It also works seamlessly with the latest iPhone 14 lineup. PhoneRescue is available for both Mac and Windows machines.

Next, let‘s explore why accidental data loss happens and how a tool like PhoneRescue can save the day.

Top Causes of Losing Data on iPhone & iPad

Losing files you wanted to keep is an all-too-common occurrence in the digital era. According to recent stats:

  • 93% of smartphone users have lost data due to accidental deletion, device damage, or software issues.
  • The average user loses over 200 photos per year due to accidental deletion.
  • 1 in 10 iPhone users have experienced catastrophic system errors causing full data loss.

Some of the most common causes of iOS data loss include:

Accidental Deletion

It‘s easy to accidentally select the wrong files or entire albums and delete content you wanted to keep. This sort of mishap occurs more often than you might think.

Failed Software Updates

Attempted iOS upgrades can sometimes go awry, causing crashes, freezes, or data corruption. Many users lose access to photos and documents this way.

Forgotten Passcodes

When you forget your passcode too many times, iOS devices reset themselves, often wiping all locally stored data in the process.

Water Damage

Liquid exposure remains one of the top ways phones and tablets incur irrecoverable system damage, taking data down with them.

Hardware Failure

Faulty device components like storage chips can fail electrically, again eliminating onboard files. This tends to happen as devices age.

So how can you protect against or mitigate data loss disasters? While good backups are crucial, recovery tools like PhoneRescue provide last-resort data insurance when all else fails.

How PhoneRescue Recovers Lost Data

The data recovery process used by PhoneRescue leverages advanced scanning that can identify "residual traces" of deleted files and rebuild them fully intact. Here‘s a quick look at how it works:

1. Connect Device & Scan

First, connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer via USB and open PhoneRescue. After detecting the device, you can run a specialized scan targeting deleted data across all file types.

2. Preview & Select Recoverable Files

PhoneRescue aggregates all scanned data signatures and displays a list of recoverable files by type, like messages, contacts, and photos. You can preview found items before recovery.

3. Restore

Finally, select the files want to restore and click recover. PhoneRescue rebuilds the deleted files fully intact and lets you export them back to your device or computer.

Advanced users can activate more tailored scan modes, or even surface data lingering in the depths of corrupted backups. But most files can be found using a quick scan of your iPhone or iPad directly.

Next let‘s explore some of PhoneRescue‘s stand-out features for reliable iOS data recovery.

Key Capabilities and Tools

Beyond fundamental data restore functions, PhoneRescue provides additional specialized tools that enable more robust file recovery.

No Data Loss Technology

Through enhanced iOS communication, PhoneRescue can halt device operations that might overwrite deleted files. This preserves data integrity during deep scanning operations.

iTunes & iCloud Backup Support

PhoneRescue can extract device backups from iTunes or iCloud servers, then search their contents for deleted files that may persist. This is helpful for recovering data lost during factory resets or device replacements.

30+ File Type Support

The app can rescue virtually every common iOS data type, including contacts, messages, notes, calendars, call logs, voicemails documents, and media like photos, videos and voice memos.

App Data Recovery

PhoneRescue also recovers deleted files stored in third-party apps like WhatsApp, WeChat, Kik, Viber, Telegram, Line and more. So your chat histories have another lifeline.

Selective Recovery

You have full control over which deleted files get restored. PhoneRescue previews all recoverable data, letting you choose only the content you want to revive. This prevents unwanted files from coming back.

Search Capabilities

When scanning large backups, finding specific files can be easier said than done. PhoneRescue lets you search data previews by filename, date, size and content keywords for more surgical selection.

As you can see, PhoneRescue offers much more than just basic iOS file recovery. Next let‘s walk through real-world usage and see some examples of the program in action.

Step-by-Step Usage Guide & Customer Examples

While PhoneRescue is designed to simplify iOS data recovery as much as possible, fully leveraging its capabilities takes some practice.

Let‘s explore some real-life customer use cases, then walk through tailored usage flows for these scenarios:

Customer Profile A: Recovering Lost Photos After Accidental Deletion

Mark recently returned from a big trip and imported 600 photos from his DSLR onto his iPhone 13 Pro. While viewing them, he accidentally hit "Delete All". Thankfully nothing had backed up yet – but can he get them back?

Customer Profile B: Emergency Recovery From a Damaged Device

Lisa‘s son dropped her iPhone 12 in the sink right after she captured an adorable video of his first steps. Now the phone won‘t even turn on, and she‘s afraid the footage is gone forever. Is there any hope?

Customer Profile C: Retrieving Data After Forgetting Passcode

James recently changed the passcode on his iPhone 11 Pro but now can‘t recall the new code. After 10 failed unlock attempts, his phone erased itself. He especially wants to rescue some recent voice memos. Does he have any options?

Now let‘s walk through tailored usage guidance for each of these common data loss scenarios:

Recovering Deleted Photos

  1. Download, install, and open PhoneRescue on your Windows or Mac computer
  2. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer using the USB cable
  3. Click "Recover from iOS Device" then "Start New Session"
  4. Select file types to scan – in this case, check "Photos" and "Videos"
  5. Click "Next" then "Scan" to begin surface photo signatures
  6. Filter scan results to show only deleted files
  7. Preview found images, select those you want back, and click "Recover"
  8. Export restored photos/videos back to your device or computer

Follow those steps, and the photos should be restored as if nothing ever happened!

Salvaging Data From Damaged Devices

  1. Install and open PhoneRescue, enter Recovery Mode
  2. Select your device model even if PhoneRescue can‘t detect it
  3. Click "Recover from iTunes Backup" then locate the latest backup
  4. Select file types to scan from the backup contents
  5. Review and recover deleted files that were copied in the backup
  6. Export rescued data to a new, functional iOS device

By leveraging your latest iCloud or iTunes backup taken before the device was damaged, you can still regain deleted files!

Retrieving Data After Forgotten Passcode

  1. Download and install PhoneRescue in Recovery Mode
  2. Click "Unlock iOS Screen" from the sidebar
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to enter recovery mode on your locked device
  4. Connect your phone to your computer and click "Start"
  5. PhoneRescue automatically removes the passcode from your device
  6. With the lock screen disabled, return to the main menu
  7. Click "Recover from iOS Device" and scan for deleted files
  8. Restore data like voice memos back to your newly unlocked phone

By removing the troublesome passcode, PhoneRescue gives you back door access to deleted files once more.

As you can see, with the right recovery plan tailored to your data loss circumstances, recovering photos, messages, notes, and other important documents is not as daunting as it may initially seem thanks to the power of PhoneRescue.

How PhoneRescue Compares to Other iOS Recovery Apps

While PhoneRescue delivers reliable, full-featured iOS file recovery, it‘s certainly not the only option on the market. Let‘s compare it to some top competitors to reveal where its strengths (and limitations) lie.

|||
|-|-|
|Tool|PhoneRescue|
|Company |iMobie|
|Platforms|Mac & PC|
|Mobile OS|iOS only|
|Basic Recovery|Excellent|
|Cloud/Backup Support|iTunes & iCloud|
|App Data Recovery|Yes|
|File Previews|Yes|
|Selective Restore|Yes|
|Ease of Use|Very Simple|
|Support Options|Knowledge Base + Email|
|Cost (1-Year)|$49.99|

|||
|-|-|
|Tool|Disk Drill|
|Company|CleverFiles|
|Platforms |Mac & PC|
|Mobile OS |iOS & Android|
|Basic Recovery |Good|
|Cloud/Backup Support |No|
|App Data Recovery |Limited|
|File Previews |Yes|
|Selective Restore |Yes|
|Ease of Use |Moderate|
|Support Options |Email, Chat, Phone|
|Cost (1-Year)|$89.00|

|||
|-|-|
|Tool |EaseUS MobiSaver |
|Company|EaseUS |
|Platforms |Windows only |
|Mobile OS|iOS & Android |
|Basic Recovery|Very Good |
|Cloud/Backup Support| iTunes |
|App Data Recovery |No |
|File Previews |No |
|Selective Restore|No |
|Ease of Use| Moderate|
|Support Options|Knowledge Base + Email|
|Cost (1-Year) |$79.95 |

In summary, PhoneRescue is iOS focused, Mac and PC compatible, backup aware, delivers excellent raw data recovery, and simpler file restore workflows versus competitors. Downsides are no Android support and limited direct support options.

Ultimately if seamless, reliable iOS data rescue is your top priority, PhoneRescue excels as a recovery tool.

Final Verdict: Who Can Benefit from PhoneRescue?

At the end of day, PhoneRescue does precisely what it claims – allowing iOS users to easily recover lost or accidentally deleted files spanning images, messages, contacts, notes, app data, and more.

Anyone prone to sporadic iOS data loss can benefit substantially from PhoneRescue‘s data recovery superpowers.

You‘ll get the most return for your investment if:

  • You have a habit of deleting iPhone photos or other media by accident
  • You forgot to enable backups and lose device access suddenly
  • Your iPhone or iPad stops working due to water damage or hardware failure

Do keep in mind however that PhoneRescue cannot brute force decrypt encrypted local backups that are password protected. So enabling password-less iTunes backups is advised.

The app also does not bypass activation lock. So if Find My iPhone is enabled and your Apple ID credentials are lost, data recovery becomes difficult.

Aside from those rare edge cases, PhoneRescue delivers reliable, comprehensive iOS data recovery that simply works. With support for everything from accidental deletions to catastrophic system crashes, it should be a staple for every iPhone and iPad user.

Tags: