How to access photos from a broken iPhone 6s
When your iPhone iPhone 6s’s screen is shattered or the device won’t power on, your photos may still be recoverable if they were backed up or stored in iCloud. Here’s how to retrieve them without repairing the phone immediately.
Important: If the iPhone is still partially functional, avoid further damage by not pressing on the broken screen.
Method 1: Retrieve from iCloud Photos
If iCloud Photos was enabled on the broken iPhone, your pictures are safely stored in the cloud.
- On another iPhone, iPad, or computer, sign in to iCloud.com with the same Apple ID used on the broken iPhone.
- Open Photos (or Photos app on iOS device).
- All synced photos and videos should appear; you can select and download them to the new device.
To enable iCloud Photos on a replacement iPhone: Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos and turn on iCloud Photos.
Method 2: Restore from iTunes/Finder Backup
If you regularly backed up the iPhone to a computer, you can extract photos from that backup.
- Connect a new or existing iPhone to the computer where backups were made.
- Open iTunes (Windows/macOS Mojave or earlier) or Finder (macOS Catalina+).
- Select the device and choose Restore Backup, picking the most recent one that includes photos.
- After restore completes, photos will be on the new device.
Alternatively, use third-party backup extraction tools to selectively recover photos without overwriting the new device’s data.
Method 3: Use Data Recovery Software
If there is no backup, professional data recovery services may be able to extract data directly from the logic board or storage chip, but this is expensive and success is not guaranteed.
- For water-damaged or severely broken phones, do not attempt DIY disassembly; you may permanently destroy traces.
- Contact a data recovery specialist; they can often recover flashes from NAND even when the screen is dead.
This option is viable only for extremely valuable data and should be a last resort.
Method 4: Repair the Screen Temporarily
If you need to verify that the phone works or to initiate a backup, a temporary screen repair can bring the device back to life long enough to sync data.
- Have an Apple Store or reputable shop replace the screen briefly.
- Once functional, immediately back up to iCloud or iTunes.
- Then you can safely wipe or recycle the device.
Always assume your phone could break unexpectedly. Regular iCloud backups ensure your photos survive any hardware catastrophe.