fossilshark
Lurker
Hi, i was wondering why apps like mobisaver and digdeep can only recover files from 2019 for the most part. Did an android update make deleted files encrypted? How can i recover deleted photos from 2022 and 2023?
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Deleted files
- Thread starter fossilshark
- Start date
I haven't read about people having any luck recovering data, pictures with recovery apps. I kind of doubt you're going to have any luck recovering deleted photos. I wish i had better news for you
Can you be more specific?
How did you delete them?
Were you using Google photos as a backup?
How did you delete them?
Were you using Google photos as a backup?
fossilshark
Lurker
Just deleting them from the device. Idk how it works but some data recovery apps can recover photos from 2019 and some deleted photos from 2021 but something definitely changed on how photos were deleted at some point and i was wondering if anyone had info on that
Unlikely that anything changed about file deletion, more likely related to changes to encryption. It may also matter whether the photos are stored in internal storage, a removable SD card, or an SD card that has been "adopted" (formatted as internal).
The default changed from "full disk encryption" to "file-based encryption" in Android 10. This was released in late 2019, but ws only mandatory for devices which were originally released with that version (which is the way Android normally handles these changes) so it's possible that a particular user would only see a difference later. You can find information about encryption options, how it works and what changes have been made at Android Security | Android Open Source Project - look in the sidebar for "features" and then click on "encryption".
Of course there are also many other changes made to the sort of access that apps can have to different features or permissions, so it's possible that one of those is the cause. Not knowing how these recovery apps work makes it hard to guess what might be the key here.
Of course even if we knew what was stopping those apps, that wouldn't necessarily mean that there was any solution.
The default changed from "full disk encryption" to "file-based encryption" in Android 10. This was released in late 2019, but ws only mandatory for devices which were originally released with that version (which is the way Android normally handles these changes) so it's possible that a particular user would only see a difference later. You can find information about encryption options, how it works and what changes have been made at Android Security | Android Open Source Project - look in the sidebar for "features" and then click on "encryption".
Of course there are also many other changes made to the sort of access that apps can have to different features or permissions, so it's possible that one of those is the cause. Not knowing how these recovery apps work makes it hard to guess what might be the key here.
Of course even if we knew what was stopping those apps, that wouldn't necessarily mean that there was any solution.
That's how all file recovery software works. But your answer doesn't address why the OP can only recover old files and not new ones.
What matters is whether the data were overwritten, not when the file was either created or deleted. Indeed if the old files were deleted longer ago you'd expect them to be less likely to be recoverable as there has been more opportunity to overwrite them.
Of course any changes to the android filesystem would apply to all files stored on that filesystem, so that would also not explain any difference between older or newer files. So the question we should have asked the OP is whether the "files from 2019" they can recover are on the same phone as the files from 2023 that they can't, or whether these are actually on different devices? Because if that's the case the question is entirely different.
What matters is whether the data were overwritten, not when the file was either created or deleted. Indeed if the old files were deleted longer ago you'd expect them to be less likely to be recoverable as there has been more opportunity to overwrite them.
Of course any changes to the android filesystem would apply to all files stored on that filesystem, so that would also not explain any difference between older or newer files. So the question we should have asked the OP is whether the "files from 2019" they can recover are on the same phone as the files from 2023 that they can't, or whether these are actually on different devices? Because if that's the case the question is entirely different.
The limited recovery capability of apps for photos from 2022 and 2023 is not due to Android updates encrypting deleted files. It is primarily because as time passes and new data is written to the device, the chances of successful recovery decrease. To increase your chances of recovering deleted photos:
- Act quickly after deletion.
- Use reputable data recovery software.
- Consider rooting your device for better recovery results (but be aware of the risks).
- Check if your deleted photos are available in cloud backups or other backup solutions.