Broken screen: Save your smartphone? Save your data?

Your smartphone has fallen and your screen is cracked? Sad moment, but we will have to quickly make a diagnosis. Here we have two scenarios: the screen is still responsive and partially functional or the screen no longer works or is too “black” to see anything. You should know that when a screen is broken, its state of health can quickly worsen: you should not delay in intervening to save your data.

You have to be able to unlock it first. If you have a fingerprint sensor on the back, no problem, but if you’re using an unlock pattern, an in-panel fingerprint sensor or a PIN code, it will cause some problems if the screen becomes unresponsive . You will have to “cheat” by connecting a USB mouse to your smartphone using the OTG option. A micro USB or USB-C to USB type A female adapter costs less than 8 € and you can use it for other things.

Also read: How to locate, monitor and spy on a phone?

Once unlocked, you will be able to connect the smartphone to your computer. It will then be necessary to activate the option of Files transfert. It is a bit tricky, because it is still on the smartphone that we will have to act and it may still be in a place on the screen that no longer responds or is no longer visible. Help yourself with the trick with the mouse if you can’t do it from the screen. Attention, you will need a USB hub to connect the mouse + the connection cable to the PC. Once the device is unlocked and the file transfer option is enabled, you can transfer your files to your computer. The photos are in the DCIM folder, but you can also transfer everything and sort it out afterwards… Time matters.

And if the screen is completely HS?

If your screen is completely black, it’s a bit more complicated. In reality, it’s almost impossible if you haven’t enabled USB debugging mode before the unfortunate crash. To activate this mode, you must first display the Developer options which are… hidden. Go into Settingsthen in About phone (Where System > About phone), find it Build number (or version) and tap on it 7 times. You will see a message indicating that the Developer Options are available. You will find them in System. Scroll through them to activate the mode USB debugging. If this mode is activated, you win! Just download the extension Chromium Vysorconnect your device to the PC and do Launch the app then Find Device.

Select your device and in a few seconds you will have a graphical representation of your device on your PC screen: you will be able to enter the unlock pattern or your PIN code, then activate the file sharing mode to finally recover your precious data !

Do not trust the repairers who promise you the moon

If Vysor could not do anything for you, the ultimate solution is to repair or have your smartphone repaired. It has become more and more complicated, because the manufacturers do not really think about this scenario when imagining their devices: it is often necessary to disassemble the whole device to replace the slab. Be very clear with the repairer if the goal is to recover your photos and all other data: it must not reset the phone!

Recently, a reader was able to change the screen of her OnePlus 6 for a hundred euros and recover all her photos. She should have followed our backup tips, but in the end the story almost ends well. For repairs, ask for an estimate from the manufacturer and also play the competition! If you want to do it yourself, you will need some tools and a good tutorial video. The YouTube channel MovilOne Phone Repair offers plenty! A screen is expensive, but cheaper than your device. It’s up to you to weigh the pros and cons. The advantage is that you won’t have to buy a new smartphone and you can recover all your data…