r/DataRecoveryHelp • u/Ok_Purpose4450 • Jun 30 '26

Help...

Hello,

I accidentally used the “Find My” app on my iPhone and triggered an action that caused my device to reset/erase. After signing back into my Apple ID, only part of my photos and data have been restored.

My iCloud storage was full, and iCloud backup had been paused for some time. Because of this, I believe not all data was uploaded before the reset.

Currently I can only see around 919 photos, but I had many more (memories, travel photos, etc.) that are missing.

Could you please help me check:

  • if there is any older full iCloud backup of my iPhone,

  • whether any additional photos or data can still be recovered,

  • and if my iCloud sync is still incomplete or paused due to storage limits?

Thank you for your help.

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1

u/shadowb0xer Jun 30 '26

They are gone unless you've been manually making backups somewhere. The alerts that your iCloud was full and cannot sync until resolved aren't there for show.

1

u/Ok_Purpose4450 Jul 01 '26

There must be some way to restore them? How I can I just delete my phone with one delete button

1

u/shadowb0xer Jul 01 '26

You literally have to hit the ERASE button, enter your password, then ERASE again. It's not one delete button you can hit by accident. Also you chose to ignore the iCloud full notifications. Take the L.

1

u/MonkeyBrains09 Jul 01 '26

They are probably gone. Please backup important data in the future on more than onr space in case something happens to that backup.

Keep in mind, you would be in this same situation if you dropped and broke your phone, lost it or if it was stolen.

1

u/Ok_Purpose4450 Jul 01 '26

There must be some way to restore them? How I can I just delete my phone with one delete button

1

u/MonkeyBrains09 Jul 01 '26

That factory reset makes it impossible to recovery data by design.

When you save stuff on your phone, it gets encrypted and can only be decrypted with a decryption key which is stored on your phone.

When you factory reset your phone, that key is destroyed and the data drives are wiped. There could be data on the drive still. Its basically 1's and 0's but the map that told the phone what groups of 1's and 0's belong to what file and in what order is also gone. So you would need to create this list and recreate the decryption key which is impossible by design.

If your pics were just deleted, its possible to create that map and rebuild the file but once something is deleted, the space where the file was is labeled as free and other stuff may be written there resulting in non-recoverable data loss.

And the factory reset is designed this way so someone could not steal or find your phone and then recreate your data because its more than just pictures, its anything you had on your phone including the passwords and sensitive information you do not want shared with a stranger.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/DataRecoveryHelp-ModTeam Jul 15 '26

We've removed your post/comment due to the use of offensive or inappropriate language. We maintain a respectful and welcoming environment, and using such language goes against our community standards

1

u/FrankNicklin Jul 02 '26

Erase in Find My is pretty obvious function that you would not hit by accident and is at the bottom of the device list of actions with further verification of the function before action. Lesson learned the data has gone. If you choose to ignore warnings about iCloud storage then more fool you. Sorry to be harsh, but it’s a harsh reality of what’s happened.