We recover photos, videos and data from damaged Android phones with logic-board failure or that won't power on. Direct intervention on internal memory in complex cases.
Real viability
The method depends on three factors: CPU and memory condition, encryption type, and availability of the original PIN or pattern. A board-level diagnostic separates a repairable fault from a cryptographically irreversible loss.
High viability
Broken screen, damaged connector, charging or PMIC failure, localised corrosion or boot loop. If we achieve a controlled boot and the user provides the credential, data can normally be extracted.
Diagnostic required
We test power, clock, CPU, RAM and eMMC/UFS. ISP, JTAG or chip-off only apply to specific models; on encrypted modern Android, reading memory outside the device does not produce readable files.
Not recoverable
A factory reset destroys user keys. Without a valid PIN or pattern, or when CPU/TEE and memory lose their cryptographic bond, there is no legitimate way to decrypt the files.
Documented case
The diagnostic found lost communication between CPU and memory. After removing, reballing and reinstalling the original processor, the phone booted again and the data could be extracted while preserving its encryption context.
Read the complete technical caseThe normal-service base range for Android is €99 – €1,400, depending on the failure and technical complexity. Priority service (5–10 days) adds 15%; urgent service (48–72 h) adds 50%. Prices exclude VAT. The final price is confirmed in writing after the device has been analysed.
Android recovery for Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Google Pixel and OPPO: board-level repair to preserve the original CPU, TEE and storage context; ISP/JTAG or eMMC chip-off only on compatible models. Modern UFS devices with FBE require the original SoC and a valid user credential.
When you need a lab
When an Android phone won't power on, has suffered physical damage or enters a boot loop, recovery apps stop being relevant: they require USB debugging enabled and the device booting. These are the symptoms that go straight to the lab.
PMIC, charge management or CPU failure. Data intact on NAND. Electronic repair to regain system access.
Liquid between components, trace corrosion or a hit that has dislodged a chip. Don't power on — every boot worsens damage.
Eternal logo, broken recovery, or corrupt /data partition. The phone boots but doesn't mount the encrypted filesystem.
The system boots but the LCD/OLED has died. Access via OTG or temporary screen replacement to extract the data.
Unlike other devices, Android comes in many architectures: different makers, memory chips (eMMC / UFS) and encryption schemes.
Data recovery requires adapting the technique to each model, combining electronic repair and low-level memory access.
Anatomy of the failure
Up to around 2017, Android phones used eMMC memory: a 153 or 169-ball BGA package with parallel interface and simple firmware. It was standard enough that you could desolder it, hook it to a programmer and read the full NAND outside the phone. If encryption wasn't active (common on mid-range of that era), data appeared directly readable on the ext4 filesystem. That window closed: from Android 6 onwards FDE encryption was on by default, and from Android 10 the whole ecosystem migrated to file-based encryption (FBE) anchored to hardware.
Modern memory is UFS 2.1, 3.1 or 4.0: ultra-fast serial interface, more complex package and, most importantly for recovery, keys derived in the SoC's TEE (Trusted Execution Environment). This means even if you desolder the chip and read every bit, what you get is encrypted noise: the keys needed to decrypt live in the original application chip. That's why on modern flagships the only path is to repair the board until you achieve a controlled boot.
Each manufacturer adds its own layer too. Samsung has Knox, which invalidates the TEE on detected tampering. Huawei from Mate 30 onwards locks the bootloader with device-unique signatures. Xiaomi requires linked Mi account for USB authorisation. Google Pixel features Titan M2, a dedicated security coprocessor. Knowing these per-model quirks separates a successful intervention from a definitive brick. We keep updated internal documentation and donor-board stock for the most common models in the Spanish market.
Before sending it
Almost every Android arriving at the lab in critical state has had a previous attempt behind it. These are the most expensive — and the ones we see most often on the bench.
Water short-circuit between live traces turns recoverable corrosion into a burned board. Rule: power off and send.
Marketing-inherited myth. Rice absorbs very little and leaves starch particles in the connectors. If the water is already inside, you need to open and clean professionally.
Wiping /data on a system with FBE active erases the user's encryption keys. The data is still on NAND but irrecoverable — not even with chip-off.
Any flashing rewrites critical partitions (boot, system, vendor). If your failure wasn't software, you've just added a new one on top of the original.
Unlocking the bootloader triggers a full data wipe as anti-theft measure. If you want to recover photos, never unlock the bootloader before extracting them.
An unstable-voltage charger on a damaged PMIC can finish off the power rail. If in doubt, don't plug it in.
Full coverage
We work with every common manufacturer in the Spanish market. If your brand or model isn't listed, write to us: actual coverage is much wider than this representative list.
S series (S8 to S25), Note (8 to 20 Ultra), A (A52, A54, A55), Z Fold/Flip foldables. Knox subsystem handling and KeyMaster-encrypted partitions.
Mi 11/12/13/14, Redmi Note 10-13, Poco F/X. Donor-board stock for the best-selling models in Spain and Mi account bypass when applicable.
Find X, Reno, Realme GT/Pro, OnePlus 9-12. BBK family with Snapdragon and MediaTek Dimensity SoCs. Chip-off support on pre-2019 eMMC.
Pixel 4 to Pixel 9, including Pixel a-series. Full support for the Titan M/M2 coprocessor and hardware-encrypted partitions.
P30 to P60, Mate 30 to 60, Honor Magic. We handle Kirin without Google services and factory-locked bootloaders since 2019.
Moto G, Moto Edge, Edge 40/50, Razr foldables. Also Sony Xperia, Asus ROG Phone, Nothing Phone, Realme/Vivo and legacy eMMC models.
Compatible SoCs: Snapdragon · MediaTek Dimensity · Exynos · Tensor · Kirin · Unisoc
