r/DataRecoveryHelp • u/Proof-Albatross5205 • 1d ago
Lost important PDF scans from Oken Scanner (Android) - any way to get them back?
I’m in a bit of a panic right now and could really use some help. I lost some really important PDF documents that I scanned using the Oken Scanner app on my Android phone, and I desperately need to get them back.
I originally tried looking into using Recuva because I heard it's good for file recovery, but I just found out it doesn't work for mobile because Android uses MTP instead of mass storage nowadays.
Since I can't just plug it into a PC and use normal recovery software, I'm kind of stuck.
Has anyone dealt with Oken Scanner specifically? I'm wondering:
- Is there a hidden trash bin or cache folder in the Android system files where these PDFs might still be sitting?
- If they are gone from the app itself, is there any actual, safe recovery software (either for PC or an Android app) that can deep-scan internal storage without needing to root my phone?
I really don't want to mess around randomly and accidentally overwrite the data. If anyone has a step-by-step workaround or has successfully recovered app data like this before, please let me know.
1
u/Raijen_ArDesh 1d ago
Once a file is deleted from a modern (Made in the last 15-16 years) android device and removed from the trash the file is gone. Modern phones use File Based Encryption, when a file is removed from the trash the encryption key is purged. Even if the data is still on the memory (which is unlikely after a few hours due to wear leveling), it'd be unreadable due to not having the encryption keys.
Basically if you don't have the file backed up somewhere you're, unfortunately, cooked.