Android phone broken, how do I get/erase my personal data?

myfairrlady

I dropped my android phone and the screen broke. The phone still works, it rings etc. I have a personal information on this phone (our children's pictures) and I am reluctant to send it for repair/sell it as it is on Ebay with all this personal info still there.
I tried to find different ways of getting this information from my phone but I did not succeed and I will not be able to do it myself. The data is on the phone's internal card which is non removable.
Can anyone advise me what to do? How can I safely get my data or erase it? What do other people do under these circumstances?

Buzby

Destroy it? A repairer may be able to swap the faulty component allowing you to access the data then sell it on if you wish.

DUTR

You should be storing data on the external card fitted into the handset, anyways, not sure why you are being cryptic about the handset, as many manufacturers produce android handsets, depending on the make/ model you can plug the device into the PC, access the files and copy the required files across to the pc and clear the data on the handset.
Sorry can't be more friendly on the tone of the reply
But you do have a solution within the reply :cool:

Lovelyjoolz

Use your charger cable to connect to a PC or laptop via the USB port. The computer will see your phone as a hard drive and you can drag things off the phone onto your computer and delete data from your phone.

I do this with my Android phone all the time.

myfairrlady

This is Samsung Galaxy S2, sorry did not mean to be cryptic. I tried to connect to computer via Kies but the phone is pin locked and I cannot transfer files without removing pin (which I cant do because screen is broken). Repairer said they can temporarily put on a new screen to access my phone and get my data . But I am still not comfortable about someone accessing my phone.
Do other people just send phone for repair and dont bother?

grumbler

myfairrlady wrote: »

...The data is on the phone's internal card which is non removable.

myfairrlady wrote: »

This is Samsung Galaxy S2...

:huh:
...............

DUTR

myfairrlady wrote: »

This is Samsung Galaxy S2, sorry did not mean to be cryptic. I tried to connect to computer via Kies but the phone is pin locked and I cannot transfer files without removing pin (which I cant do because screen is broken). Repairer said they can temporarily put on a new screen to access my phone and get my data . But I am still not comfortable about someone accessing my phone.
Do other people just send phone for repair and dont bother?

To be honest the technician is unlikely to have a nose around your phone (with due respect you are not that important) , and whilst there is a tiny chance that he maybe a !!!!!, there is a massive chance that he isn't , I would let him go ahead and do the necessary for you to retain your cherished files, I'm sure he maybe able to do it whilst you wait to offer you even more piece of mind :beer:

ukdutypaid

download 'mymobiler' and try that. Should give you access to your screen via laptop (that's the actual screen, not just the files on your phone, for currently you can't install anything on your phone can you).
type in pin via laptop... settings>erasephone>factory reset..
After you've got all your stuff off.. Or alternatively try 'myphoneexplorer'
Do a titanium back up first though and export it to your PC. That way once/if you get it repaired you can simply reinstall everything to how it was....


That' if USB to phone, direct via adb won't give you access to the (internal) file system.
Other radical option is reinstall the ROM. That will wipe and reset. You may need some help with that though.

If you've got a Gal SII, (haven't priced a repair up) it's got to worth a repair surely? I certainly wouldn't want to be putting that in the bin....

Forwandert

If you've locked the phone with a code how is the repair guy going to get at your information? Surely he will be just changing the screen and won't need access apart from to turn the phoneed off and on.

Catherine_Johnson_2

I'm a bit puzzled what you have on your phone that's so secret?

If these photos, or whatever, are so confidential why are you carrying them around on a phone? How would you feel if you lost the phone?

Take it into a shop and get advice. I'm sure they wont be interested in what's on it (unless your surname happens to be Glitter, for instance).