- What happened? An iPhone 13 was dropped and stomped on by a crowd at a concert.
- Was the recovery successful? Yes, all the data was successfully recovered by a certified engineer using specialized tools.
The chances of recovering data from a phone that has been stomped on by a crowd are usually slim to none. So when an iPhone 13 arrived at SalvageData in just that condition, Apple data recovery expert Alex Poliakov knew it would be a tough case. But this phone had a secret: a surprising flaw that made data recovery possible against all odds.
Even though the iPhone’s RAM was cracked, the CPU was still intact, which allowed our expert to carefully replace the damaged RAM chip without losing the crucial information stored on the CPU.
Can data from a smashed phone be saved?
Yes, you can still recover data from a smashed phone, but it depends on the damage.
While a phone that's been dropped and stomped on at a concert might seem completely destroyed, SalvageData’s technician found that the overall shape of the frame was not badly bent. So even though the iPhone had a shattered screen and dried dirt all over it, this small detail was the first sign that data recovery might be possible, depending on the logic board condition.
Why is the logic board so important for iPhone data recovery?
The logic board is the most critical part of a phone because inside it are the CPU (Central Processing Unit) and RAM (Random Access Memory), which are responsible for data storage and processing.
In this case, Alex Poliakov found that the logic board wouldn't even turn on. After looking closely under a microscope, he found the problem: a small crack in the RAM chip.
Why is a cracked RAM chip a bad sign for iPhone data recovery?
“In nine out of ten cases, when the RAM cracks, it also takes the CPU with it,” Alex explained. The CPU and RAM are a single unit. When a phone takes a hard hit, a cracked RAM chip often means the CPU is also cracked, making data recovery impossible. That's because the CPU holds the special “key” to the phone's encrypted data. Without the original CPU, the data can't be unlocked.
Alex called this a “lucky” fault because “the crack was only in the RAM. That meant there was a chance we could replace it.”
Is it possible to fix a cracked RAM chip?
Replacing a cracked RAM chip is very difficult. New RAM chips aren't sold separately, so technicians have to use donor parts from other dead phones.
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In this video, you’ll see how that preparation works step by step: first cleaning off the factory glue and polishing the surface, then scraping away the hardened thermal compound that holds the RAM and CPU together until the green RAM is exposed. Next, the sides of the chip are cleaned to remove any excess adhesive before moving into the reballing stage. Using solder paste and a precision stencil, new solder balls are recreated on the chip’s pads. After heating, the paste forms into solid solder balls that match perfectly with the CPU. The video wraps up by showing the final, fully prepped RAM chip, ready to be reused in a repair.
In this case, Alex ran into another problem: the phone's logic board was slightly bent from the impact. This made it hard to get the new RAM chip to sit perfectly flat. “Because of that bend, one side of the new RAM chip would solder fine, but the other side wouldn’t sit flush,” Alex said. “Took me a few tries to get it perfect, but eventually it went on clean, the phone booted, and I was able to restore all the data and make a backup.”
Why was this a data recovery, not a full repair?
SalvageData will always prioritize what the client wants, and data recovery was the top priority for this case. Sometimes, the device we receive may just need a quick repair or a new part, and the device will be as good as new, with the added benefit that the data will be accessible again in that same old device. In other cases, like this one, a quick repair was out of the question.
While the phone could have technically been fixed to work again, it wasn't a good idea. The screen was broken, the cameras were likely dead, and the housing was badly smashed. The cost of replacing all those parts would have been much higher than the value of the phone itself. And since the client's main goal was to get their data back, our team restored just enough to securely recover the iPhone’s data.
As you can see, even in the worst scenario, when all the evidence points to a hopeless end, our experienced technicians use their creativity and innovation to find ways to retrieve what is important to you: your photos, documents, and data.
Contact our team for an evaluation of your case or find a data recovery center near you.