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Display failure · Phones

Broken Screen Phone Data Recovery

When a phone still rings, vibrates, or buzzes with notifications but the screen is cracked, black, or won't respond to touch, your data is usually still intact and the problem is getting to it. We fit a working display, unlock the phone with your passcode, and copy your data off for one flat $1,200 with free prepaid shipping, and you pay nothing if we can't recover it.

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$1,200 flat · pay on success
✓Free prepaid shipping
✓Cleanroom recovery by engineers
✓No diagnostic fee
✓$0 if we can’t recover your data

Signs of broken phone screen

  • •Screen is black, but the phone rings, vibrates, or makes sounds
  • •Cracked glass that no longer responds to touch
  • •Lines, flickering, or a solid green, white, or purple screen
  • •Touch works in some spots but not where the passcode goes
  • •Display shows the lock screen, but you can't enter the passcode
  • •Screen went dark after a drop, but the phone still seems to be on

What’s actually happening

A phone's display assembly is separate from its logic board. The glass, the touch layer, and the display panel connect to the board through small flex cables. A drop or pressure can crack the panel, break the touch layer, or damage those cables, leaving a phone that runs normally underneath but can't show anything or take input.

Your data lives on the logic board, not the screen, so a broken display alone usually doesn't put it at risk. The difficulty is access. Modern phones encrypt their storage and won't hand over data until they're unlocked with the passcode, and on an iPhone, connecting to a new computer requires tapping Trust and entering the passcode on the screen.

Sometimes what looks like a screen problem is something else. If the phone gives no sign of life at all, with no sound, no vibration, and no response to a charger, the fault may be the logic board, which needs board-level recovery instead.

What not to do

  • ✕Don't let a shop replace the logic board or transfer you to a new phone — the screen is the problem, and your data lives on the original board.
  • ✕Don't agree to a reset as part of a screen repair — erasing the phone deletes the encryption keys and your data with them.
  • ✕Don't keep guessing at the passcode on a screen you can't see — repeated wrong entries can lock the phone for longer and longer, and if erase-after-failed-attempts is turned on, wipe it.
  • ✕Don't keep using a phone with badly shattered glass or a swollen battery — turn it off and pack it so the glass can't shift.
  • ✕Don't replace the screen yourself unless you're experienced — prying and disconnecting cables can damage the board connectors the phone needs to work.

How we recover it

1

Confirm it's the display

Engineers check whether the phone is running underneath and whether the fault is the display, the touch layer, the flex cables, or the board itself.

2

Fit a working display

A working display, either a replacement or a temporary screen, is connected to the original board so the phone can be seen and used. Damaged display connectors are repaired if needed.

3

Unlock with your passcode

The phone is unlocked with the passcode you provide. We can't bypass lock screens or encryption, so the passcode is required.

4

Back up and verify

Your photos, messages, and files are copied off, checked to confirm they open, and returned to you on a secure return drive.

Can the data be recovered?

Phones that are still running with only a damaged display are often among the more recoverable phone cases, because the board and storage are usually untouched. The outlook is less certain if the impact also damaged the board, if liquid got in through cracked glass, or if the display connector on the board is broken. Recovery always requires your passcode. Fitting a working screen also can't bring back anything that was permanently deleted before the phone broke, since purged data on modern phones isn't recoverable. If we can't recover your data, you pay nothing.

Recovery by device

iPhone recovery →Android recovery →Phone data recovery →iPad data recovery →

Related guides

Phones Phone Screen Black but Still On? How to Fix It and Save Your Data Phones iPhone Black Screen? How to Fix It Without Losing Your Data Phones Samsung Black Screen of Death: How to Fix It and Save Your Data Phones iPhone Won't Turn On? How to Recover Your Photos Prevention The 3-2-1 Backup Rule: How to Never Need Data Recovery

Broken Phone Screen — common questions

Can I back up the phone without a working screen?+
Sometimes. First check whether a recent iCloud or Google backup already exists by signing in from another device. If the phone has been connected to and trusted by your computer before, a backup there may be possible. Otherwise, you'll need a working display to unlock the phone and approve the connection.
Why can't the data be pulled off without fixing the screen?+
Because the storage is encrypted and tied to the phone's own board, the data has to come off the phone itself while it's running and unlocked. The screen is how the passcode gets entered, so a working display is needed.
Do you need my passcode if Face ID or fingerprint unlock still works?+
Yes. Face ID and fingerprint unlock aren't available after a restart until the passcode is entered, and the passcode is also needed to approve connections and backups. We can't bypass lock screens or encryption.
A shop says I need a new phone. Is my data gone?+
Not if the original board still works. A new phone or a replacement board won't have your data. If the phone was still running after the screen broke, keep the original phone intact and send the whole thing for recovery.
How much does broken phone screen recovery cost?+
One flat $1,200 for a single device, quoted before you ship — no diagnostic fee, and $0 if we can't recover your data.

Other failures we recover from

RAID Rebuild FailureRAID Controller FailureMultiple Drive FailureClicking Hard Drive All failure types →

Recover from broken phone screen — pay only if it works.

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