Your phone won't turn on, and the photos of your kids, your work contacts or years of messages are trapped inside. At that point, the phone itself barely matters — the data does. Phone data recovery in Ottawa is often possible, even from a phone that's been in water or shows no sign of life. Here's how it works, what you can try, and what to avoid.
First, check whether your data is already backed up
Before anything else, look for a backup you might have forgotten about:
- iPhone: sign in to iCloud on a computer and check Photos, Contacts and Notes. Also check whether a computer you sync with has a recent backup.
- Android: check your Google account, including Google Photos, Contacts and Drive. Some phones also sync photos to another cloud service, so check any you've set up.
- Messaging apps: WhatsApp and similar apps often keep their own cloud backups that can be restored to a new phone.
If everything important is there, you may simply need a repaired or new phone. If not, read on.
Why you can't just pull the memory chip
With older computers, you could take out the hard drive and plug it into another machine. Modern phones don't work that way. Storage is a chip soldered to the main board, and on current iPhones and Android phones the data is encrypted with keys tied to that specific board. Moving the storage chip to another phone doesn't give you readable data.
That means the realistic path to your files is getting the original phone working again, at least long enough to unlock it with your passcode and copy everything off. You'll need that passcode: without it, nobody can access the data on a locked modern phone. This is where micro soldering and board-level repair come in.
If your phone is water-damaged
- Turn it off and leave it off. Don't keep powering it on to check whether it works.
- Don't charge it. Electricity plus moisture is what drives corrosion and short circuits on the board.
- Skip the rice. It's a myth: rice doesn't pull water out of a sealed phone, starch and dust can get into the ports, and it wastes valuable time.
- Get it to a technician quickly. Corrosion keeps spreading, so the sooner the board is cleaned, the better the odds.
For more detail, see what to do when your iPhone gets wet. The same rules apply to Android phones.
What a data recovery repair involves
- Diagnosis: testing with a known-good battery and screen, measuring how the board behaves, and finding the failed component.
- Board repair: replacing a shorted chip, rebuilding a damaged connection, or cleaning corrosion under a microscope.
- Data transfer: once the phone boots, you unlock it and the data is backed up or moved to a new device.
Sometimes the phone is fully repaired and goes back into daily use. Other times the goal is a one-time rescue: get it running just long enough to save what matters.
Being realistic about the odds
Data recovery isn't guaranteed. Severe liquid damage, a cracked board, or a failed storage or processor chip can make recovery impossible. Repairs on liquid-damaged devices also carry no warranty, because corrosion can continue to develop after the repair. What you can count on is an honest assessment: quotes are free, diagnostics are free if you go ahead, and if you decide not to proceed or the device can't be repaired, a $29 diagnostic, pick-up & delivery fee applies.
Once your data is safe, set up automatic backups so this never becomes a crisis again. Our guide to backing up your phone, tablet or laptop walks you through it.
Phone data recovery in Ottawa — we come to you
Fix Revolution has 10+ years of experience with board-level repair, and all work is done in-house — nothing is sent out. We pick up your phone at home or work anywhere in Ottawa & Gatineau, from Nepean to Orleans, and drop it back off when it's done. Most repairs are completed the same day, though parts availability can affect timing. Standard repairs come with a 90-day warranty on parts and labour, with liquid-damaged devices excluded. Get a free quote, call 613-265-4349, or book a pickup online.
Quick answers
Can data be recovered from a phone that won't turn on?
Often, yes. The usual approach is repairing the phone's board so it boots long enough for you to unlock it and copy your data. It isn't guaranteed, especially with severe damage.
Do I need my passcode for data recovery?
Yes. Modern phones encrypt their data, so you'll need your passcode to unlock the phone once it's working again.
Should I put my wet phone in rice?
No. Rice doesn't remove water from inside a phone and wastes time. Turn it off, don't charge it, and get it to a technician quickly.