How to recover deleted photos: Android, iPhone and Google Photos

Our phones make everyday life much easier, whether we’re browsing the internet, calling someone or taking photos of important moments. But, like any other data, those photos can be deleted from the device, and trying to get them back can be pretty stressful.

Deleted files can stay recoverable until they are overwritten: stop using the device. If software does not solve it, see Bot’s lab data recovery, which starts with a free diagnosis.

To help you through it, Bot has put together this step-by-step guide to recovering deleted photos. If you want to know how to get photos back on Android, iPhone or Google Photos, read on.

Please note: none of the procedures described here can ensure full recovery of the photos and images you deleted. If the data is important, the best course of action is to turn to a professional data recovery company such as Bot, so the process is safe and the chances of success are higher.

01Can you recover deleted photos from the trash?

You know that moment when your phone runs out of storage and you have to delete photos and videos from the gallery to free up space? Sometimes you end up deleting a file you shouldn’t have.

In cases like this, recovery is usually quick and simple because, just like computers, most phones have a trash (or recycle bin) folder where deleted files are kept for a while.

Look for the trash or “Recently deleted” folder in your gallery app, find the item you want to restore, select it and choose the restore option.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, it’s time to try a different route: dedicated photo recovery tools. Whether you have an Android phone or an iPhone, there are a few methods that might work for you, and we explain them all below.

02How do you recover deleted photos on Android?

On Android, once the photo is no longer in the trash, you’ll need a third-party app or program to try to recover it. Stop using the phone as much as possible in the meantime, since new data can overwrite the deleted photos.

Here are some ways to do it.

Desktop file recovery software

As we’ve explained elsewhere on our website, there are various tools that help you recover lost or damaged files. With phones, this is also possible, even from your computer.

To do this, download an Android recovery program and install it on your Windows computer. Then connect your phone with a USB cable and wait for the program to recognize the device and start searching for deleted files. Finally, select the images you want to recover and save them to your computer. Keep in mind that the internal storage of most modern phones is encrypted, so these tools often find only thumbnails or cached copies.

Photo recovery apps for your phone

Another option for anyone who wants to recover deleted photos from their phone is to download an app made specifically for the job.

Several apps are available today, such as DiskDigger and DigDeep. We’ll cover them later in this article.

Sync your photos with Google Photos

This third option is really a form of prevention.

On Android devices, you can turn on automatic backup of your photos to Google Photos. With this feature on, a copy of your files is kept in Google’s cloud, so you can access them from anywhere.

03How do you recover deleted photos on an iPhone?

Just as you can recover deleted photos on Android, you can also do it on an iPhone.

When you delete a photo, iOS automatically moves it to the “Recently Deleted” album, which works much like a recycle bin. Deleted photos stay there for 30 days.

To restore the ones you need, follow these steps:

1. Open the Photos app;
2. Go to “Albums”, scroll to the bottom of the screen and open the “Recently Deleted” album;
3. Select the photos you want to restore and tap “Recover”;
4. Tap “Recover Photo” to confirm.

The selected photos will then go back to your library.

iCloud backup

If the photo you’re looking for isn’t in “Recently Deleted”, don’t despair. There’s another way to get it back: restoring an iCloud backup.

Restoring a backup takes five steps, but bear in mind that it replaces everything currently on the iPhone with the contents of the backup:

1. First, check under Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup that you have a backup made before the photo was deleted, and save anything newer you want to keep somewhere else. Don’t run a new backup now: it could replace the older one that still has the photo;
2. Then open Settings, go to “General” > “Transfer or Reset iPhone” and tap “Erase All Content and Settings”;
3. Enter your passcode and confirm;
4. All data on the phone will be erased. When it restarts, you’ll see the “Hello” screen; follow the setup and, on the apps and data screen, choose “From iCloud Backup”;
5. Sign in to your iCloud account and select the backup that contains the photo you need.

Unfortunately, this option won’t work if you’ve never backed up your iPhone, or if iCloud Photos is turned on, since in that case your photos aren’t included in the backup.

04How do you recover deleted photos from Google Photos?

When you delete a backed-up photo in Google Photos, it stays in the app’s trash for 60 days. So if you deleted it within that period, you can still get it back.

Here’s how:

1. Open Google Photos and sign in;
2. Tap “Library” (or “Collections”, depending on the version) at the bottom of the screen;
3. Open “Trash” (or “Bin”);
4. Find the photos you want to recover among the deleted items and select them;
5. Tap “Restore”;
6. Finally, tap the back button.

As with the 30-day limit on iOS, once the Google Photos deadline has passed you won’t be able to recover the image this way, unless it is saved in another backup.

05What is the best app for recovering deleted photos from your phone?

As we mentioned, there are several third-party apps that can help you try to recover deleted photos on your phone, but only on Android.

On an iPhone, the only ways to recover deleted photos are through iOS itself or from a backup (iCloud or computer), as explained above. Android users, on the other hand, have plenty of apps to choose from on Google Play.

We’ve picked a few for you.

DiskDigger

DiskDigger is an app that tries to recover deleted photos from your phone’s internal memory or memory card, and can sometimes recover files even after a memory card has been formatted.

It can work in two ways:

1. With root access, the app scans the device’s entire memory for the images you want to recover.
2. Without root access, the scan is more limited and only covers the cache and thumbnails.

DiskDigger also has a paid version that can recover other types of files as well as photos and videos.

DigDeep

Well known among Android users who have needed to recover a deleted photo, DigDeep searches the phone’s internal memory and memory card for deleted photos.
To run a recovery, just do the following:

1. Open the app and wait while it scans the folders;
2. When the scan is complete, view the results, which are grouped by folder;
3. Select the images you want to recover and restore them.

06Undeleter

Much like the other two apps, Undeleter can recover files deleted from your phone’s internal storage.

For best results, you need to give the app root access. Otherwise, it only searches app caches.

Besides images, Undeleter can also recover other formats, such as EPUB, MP3 and PDF files.

Dumpster Recycle Bin

Dumpster Recycle Bin is a safeguard against accidental deletion: it keeps a copy of the photos and videos you delete so you can restore them later. Note that it only recovers files deleted after the app was installed.

Photo Recovery

Another app that can recover deleted photos from your phone’s gallery, Photo Recovery runs an advanced search of the system for these files and saves what it finds to a separate folder.

As with DiskDigger, there are two scan modes, which differ in the algorithm used to scan the phone or memory card.

See also: Is it possible to recover data from a mobile phone?

07How do you recover deleted photos from WhatsApp?

If you keep your photos only in WhatsApp, be aware that they are easy to lose, since they’re stored in folders on your device and can be deleted along with a chat or when you clear storage.

Still, there are a few ways to get these images back. See below.

Ask the person who sent you the photo

When you delete a message on WhatsApp, you have two options: “Delete for me” and “Delete for everyone”.

If you chose the first option, getting the image back is easy: just ask the other person to send you the file again. If you chose the second, the photo also disappears from the other person’s chat, so they will only have it if they saved it to their phone or shared it with someone else before it was deleted.

Restore a backup

Just as you can recover deleted photos from a phone backup, you can do the same with WhatsApp, as long as chat backup was turned on in the app.

To restore the backup, follow these steps:

1. Tap “Menu”, then go to “Settings” > “Chats” > “Chat backup”;
2. On this screen you’ll see the date of the most recent backup. Check that it was made before you deleted the photo. Don’t tap “Back up” now, or you’ll replace that backup;
3. If the backup is older than the deletion, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp. After confirming your number, you’ll be offered the option to restore your chats. Tap “Restore” and you’re done. Messages received after that backup may be lost.

Check the WhatsApp folder on your device

Your phone stores files in a number of folders. So if you can’t find an image you deleted in WhatsApp, it may still be in the app’s own media folder.

Here’s how to find that folder and recover the deleted photo.

Without third-party apps

To do it without extra apps, follow these steps:

1. Open your phone’s “Files” (or “My Files”) app;
2. Go to the “Images” or “Pictures” section;
3. Inside, you’ll find a WhatsApp folder (such as “WhatsApp Images”);
4. Check its contents to see if the photo you’re looking for is there.

With a third-party app

If you prefer to use a file manager app, follow these steps:

1. Download the file manager of your choice (ASTRO File Manager, for example);
2. Go to “Internal storage” > “Android” > “media” > “com.whatsapp” > “WhatsApp” > “Media” (on older versions of Android, “Internal storage” > “WhatsApp” > “Media”);
3. There you’ll find a folder for each type of file WhatsApp handles, such as images, videos and audio.

08How can Bot help?

Bot is a specialist data recovery company with a strong track record in the field.

If the photos were on your phone, start by restoring your backup. And whether it’s recovering files from laptops, SSDs, servers, USB flash drives or memory cards (including a microSD card taken from your phone), Bot is always ready to help.

To make sending your device as convenient as possible, Bot offers free collection (islands not included).

Recovering deleted photos with Bot takes four steps:

1. Request free collection of your device;
2. Choose your diagnosis option: free standard diagnosis (up to 48 hours), priority (up to 24 hours) or urgent (up to 12 hours);
3. We carry out the data recovery, on a standard or urgent basis;
4. You check the recovered data before paying in full, and get your device back.

Over our history we have handled more than 200,000 cases, with a 96% success rate.

Yours could be next!

09Conclusion

After reading this guide, it should be much easier to understand how to recover deleted photos from your phone. In many cases, the problem can be solved in a few minutes.

However, if your case is more complex, don’t hesitate to ask for our help. You can reach Bot on +351 932 455 377.

To get started, start your recovery here.