The discussion revolves around the storage and potential recovery of photos received via text messages on cell phones, particularly after a factory reset. Participants explore various methods for retrieving these images, the implications of device types, and the reliability of recovery services.
Participants express differing views on the effectiveness of data recovery after a factory reset, with some believing recovery is possible while others remain skeptical. There is no consensus on the best approach or the reliability of recovery services.
Participants acknowledge limitations regarding the potential overwriting of data and the dependency on specific device types, such as iOS versus LG devices. The discussion also highlights the uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of various recovery methods.
This discussion may be useful for individuals seeking to understand the implications of factory resets on data storage, those interested in data recovery options, and users of different mobile operating systems looking for specific retrieval methods.
lekh2003 said:If you have viewed the image then the image had been downloaded. It should be on your internal storage.
Has the phone been factory reset?Fervent Freyja said:Cool. How can I retrieve these special photos? I forgot what they look like, silly me!
lekh2003 said:Has the phone been factory reset?
That would be ideal however the device seems to be an LG device.jedishrfu said:iOS phones can view images in text files using the Settings app.
There's an option under General>iPhone Storage where you may see a recommendation for removing old text message attachments. The list is a full collection of images and videos sent that you had downloaded when viewing the text.
You might be able to find these on your PC under iTunes storage somewhere if you've backed up your phone to your PC.
lekh2003 said:That would be ideal however the device seems to be an LG device.
If it's really important you can contact a specialist. I don't think you should pay anymore than a hundred dollars for a standard recovery process. It's not like you had the intelligence service wipe your phone.
Have you tried looking at freelance websites like fiverr or something like that. You should be able to find someone willing to do the job in your area. Be sure not to make it seem like you need the photos too much otherwise they might bump up the price.Fervent Freyja said:You're right. There may not be much left after the reset. The guy in my area seems to believe he can deliver me $1000 worth of deleted data. I have been screwed so much recently, that I cannot trust even him...
lekh2003 said:Have you tried looking at freelance websites like fiverr or something like that. You should be able to find someone willing to do the job in your area. Be sure not to make it seem like you need the photos too much otherwise they might bump up the price.
However, I am sure you shouldn't pay 1000 dollars to anyone for something routine like this.
The guy is trying to make some quick cash. And I don't exactly think your photos are worth as much as $1000 let alone $7000. There's no point paying vast sums of money to someone like that.Fervent Freyja said:That's what I was thinking, I will call around and see. I don't understand how he can claim to have it available to me within 24 hours for $7000 and force me to wait 30 days for $1000, if it were so hard to recover to begin with!
sysprog said:A normal restore will not reliably erase SMS and MMS data. The images you wish to recover may be overwritten by subsequent activity. If they haven't been overwritten by erasure or other new data overlay they may be recoverable. Recovering whatever is recoverable can be done by a competent professional for a reasonable fee (<$1k). If you have a tech-savvy friend, he or she can probably do it with a free tool, such as is referenced here: https://sleuthkit.org/autopsy/docs/user-docs/3.1/android_page.html