Recovering data from flash memory after washing?
I recently had my Iphone 5 washed. The main worry is that my recent Honeymoon pictures are all on the phone and it has not been backed up on a computer since.
I put it in rice and waited for 3 days before attempting to start it; but it won't start.
I would like to access the pictures stored in the flash memory. As far as I understand the flash memory is located on the logic board. I know how to solder, etc. but do not know which chip is the flash memory or even how to go about getting the data off once I find it.
Does anyone know anything related to the way the data is stored or accessed? Or maybe the chip number could be used to find the data sheet and pins. Is there any way to make connections from the flash memory to perhaps a USB and connect it to a computer to retrieve the data?
Any help or guidance is appreciated. I have called some data recovery people but it will cost $900. For that price I can try it myself.
Hi John... I have the same problem.. have you managed to find a way?
There really isn't a substitute on the iPhone for getting the pictures off rather than getting the phone to boot up and connect to WiFi or dock connector to offload the photos.
Rice doesn't dry phones any better than a few days in the sun would dry a trashbag of wet clothes.
It is entirely possible that with prompt cleaning and a new battery, the iPhone could live again. I just got done doing the same repair for a customer whose iPhone met a caramel latte before she was able to back up her photos from a once in a lifetime trip.
The thing *not* to do is try to power on the phone before its been cleaned. In my customers case, she tried doing this after rice repeatedly, and the end result is that the heat generated from an internal short caused serious damage to the baseband and her phone is now a really nice iTouch.
Start by following a guide to open the phone, remove the logic board, and clean the whole thing with 99% isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush focusing on any corrosion you might see. Unfortunately, most of the iPhone 5 logic board is difficult to access under soldered on shields. A thorough cleaning requires removal of the shields--which can be difficult without bending the board or knocking off components. You may wish to invest in an ultrasonic cleaning machine that may help if you can't get the shields off. Let it dry on its own and reassemble with a fresh battery and see what you get.
Feel free to contact me if you have other questions---I just finished doing a repair just like this tonight!
THANKS FOR THIS TIP! 99% isopropyl and a brush did the job!!! LCD was flickering but got the touch working well enough to pass security and trust the computer and was able to make a back up!!! I'd also add that compressed air is A MUST!!!
It is IMPOSSIBLE to extract data in this way. The iphone flash memory is encrypted with AES256, it can only be decrypted by the device-specific CPU on the same logic board.
Your only option is trying to repair the logic board, at least to the level of successfully booting and accessible from USB, then do a backup from your computer. you may need to enter passcode to unlock and decrypt the file system so repairing touch and display function also is recommended.
The $900 data recovery service does the same thing, trying to repair the board.