We get it – losing precious memories can be hard. Technology has taken over our lives, and we rarely ever print photos to put them on a nightstand. That has its perks, of course – while your photos aren’t physical, you can keep as many as you want on your phone. The same can be said for the videos, and knowing that 4K resolution is present on most new smartphones, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll try to record and share your best moments spent with family and friends. But what if a disaster strikes – and you end up losing your data? Whether you’ve taken precautions (knowingly or not, some backups can be automatic), we’re here to help.
1. Recovering deleted iPhone videos without backup
Right off the bat, we’ll cover the worst-case scenario, and give you an idea of how to prevent things like this from happening in the future. As you know for sure by now, there are two types of videos on your phone. The first one is, of course, the videos you either took yourself via the camera or transferred from your PC. The second are those from the iTunes store, in which case the solution is very easy – you can just re-download them back to your phone.
As an example, we’ll use a widely-known, and certainly one of the best data recovery software for iOS – dr.fone. (You can use any other tools of your choice. We are just taking this as an example.)
Using dr.fone – iPhone Data Recovery
The program is compatible with both Windows and Mac, therefore giving you a chance to restore your precious videos and pictures with ease. It’s important to realize, that the app is not free, but has a free trial which should be enough for an emergency – but if you’d like to keep things safe for the future, consider getting a full version. This is the case for almost any iOS data recovery tools we have reviewed so far.
Now – onto the interface itself. Not only is it very easy to use, but it works fast, utilizing your computer power instead of your phone. It covers all common mishaps, whether downloading virus-infected files that wreak havoc, or system crashes, as well as iOS Updates, factory resets, or jailbreaks. It’s compatible with all iPhones going back to iPhone 4, and spreads too far more than just videos, even though that’s our main concern at the moment. Now let’s get to the steps in order to get you back on your feet and cheerful:
1. Connect your PC to your iOS device
This is, of course, the first logical step you need to take. After you connect it via the USB cable, you’re ready to launch the program itself. However, before we continue we must warn you of a few things. While it’s imperative to get the latest version of iTunes on your phone, automatic syncing can erase your data in the process. To avoid possible trouble, you should disable it:
- Оpen iTunes app.
- Go to Preferences.
- Click on Devices.
- Then tick “Prevent iPhones, iPods, and iPads from syncing automatically”.
- With that done, you’re ready to go to the next step.
2. Click on Recover on the far left
The program then detects your device and gives you a plethora of options to choose from. That’s the magic of it – you can get back your SMS, attachments, lost contacts, or call history if it’s important, as well as data from the messaging apps you’re using. Messenger, Kik, Viber, and WhatsApp are all supported, which is a relief. Located under those options are the things we care most about currently – lost photos, videos, documents, or audio recordings. All you have to do is tick the things you seek and press Start Scan in the bottom right corner.
3. Wait
You did what you could, now let dr.fone uncover things you thought were lost forever. The process usually takes a dozen minutes, but it could be more, depending on your PC’s power or the amount of data. Pausing the process at any moment is possible, but we’d advise you to let it search.
4. Take a good look and review
You’re presented with a list of data uncovered once the search is over. It’s understandable that some data you deleted was intentional, and should stay that way, so carefully scroll through. There’s a search box in the top right corner too, helping you narrow down the things you sought after in the first place.
5. Click Recover to Computer or Recover to Device
The stressful part is over, and the data you checked will be back to life, so you can enjoy it for the times to come. However, you should take countermeasures in order to prevent mishaps like this from ever ruining your day, which we’ll discuss right next.
2. Recovering deleted iPhone videos with backup
Whether you’ve already had a backup ready, or just learned a lesson the hard way, we’re here to help. The steps are actually quite easy, and there are two possibilities by default – restoring from the iCloud or from the iTunes. The backup is automatic unless you’ve manually disabled it, and it’s easy to get the data back:
iCloud Backup Recovery
- Turn on your iOS device – This type of recovery is most commonly done when you reset your device to factory settings but do not want to lose your files. So, follow on-screen instructions until you’re at the Apps & Data screen.
- Tap Restore from iCloud Backup – Next – sign in with your Apple ID.
- Tap on the backup you want – As you probably guessed, there are many backups along with dates and time of their creation. Choose the appropriate one and once again sign with your Apple ID account.
- Wait for the progress bar – As always, depending on the size, the process can take longer. You can relax, there’s nothing else you can do, just wait for it to finish, and enjoy your device. Important to realize – your apps and other personal information will be restored in the background while you use the device, in order to get you back on your feet as soon as possible.
iTunes Backup Recovery
- Open iTunes on your computer.
- Connect your device via USB cable. Sometimes you’ll have to do a security step to confirm your PC, so follow on-screen instructions.
- Select your device. If it doesn’t show, try reconnecting or consider taking a different cable, as they’re prone to breaking.
- Click on Restore Backup. In some cases, you’ll be required to upgrade your iOS in order to proceed.
- Pick the backup you want to restore and click Restore. If your backup was encrypted, you’ll need to enter a password. And that’s it – your device will restart when the recovery is finished, and you’re ready to use it.
In the end, we hope you didn’t have to stress too much about it. In case you had a backup already, props to you for thinking ahead. If not, you might’ve learned a lesson the hard way, and will take care of your precious files a little better from now on, as you just learned how. It wasn’t too hard, was it?
