Can files be recovered after a factory reset?
Short answer
On a modern phone, effectively no. Apple and Google describe a reset as erasing the phone's data completely, and the encryption built into these devices is what makes that erasure final. What survives is what you copied elsewhere: iCloud content is not deleted when you erase an iPhone, and Google Account data can be restored after a reset. Traces can linger on unencrypted devices or shallower resets. Restoring backups, not recovery software, is what gets files back.
Short answer: on a modern smartphone, treat the files as gone. Apple says tapping Erase All Content and Settings erases an iPhone or iPad completely, and Google says a factory reset erases all your data from the phone. A reset is not a delete you can undo, because it clears the whole device. What you can usually get back is whatever had already been copied to the cloud.[1][2]
Why a reset on a modern phone is so final
Modern phones do not store your photos and messages as plain files that anyone could read straight off the storage. Apple's Platform Security guide describes encryption and data protection features that safeguard user data on its devices. Because the contents are encrypted, wiping the device leaves nothing readable behind, which is why both companies describe a reset as erasing data rather than hiding it. The practical consequence is blunt: once the handset has been erased, there is no realistic recovery route from the handset itself.[3]
What actually gets your files back
Look away from the phone. Apple notes that your content is not deleted from iCloud when you erase a device, and Google says data stored in your Google Account can be restored after a reset. So the copies that matter are the ones made before the reset: iCloud photos and backups, Google Account backups, photos synced to your phone maker's own cloud service, or a backup saved to a computer. Signing back in on a replacement device and letting those copies come down is the genuine recovery route, and it costs nothing.[1][2]
Before paying anyone to recover data from a wiped phone, check your cloud accounts first. Copies in iCloud and Google Account backups survive a reset, so many "lost" photo libraries are still sitting in the cloud even though the phone itself is empty.[1][2]
When recovery after a reset might still work
There are narrower cases where data can survive a reset. On a device that stores files without encryption, a reset that only clears the file index behaves much like an ordinary deletion, leaving bytes on the storage until they are overwritten. A lighter reset that deletes data without wiping the storage can leave the same traces behind. On a current iPhone or Android handset neither situation is the norm, since both companies describe a full erase, so realistic odds from the device itself are close to none.[3][1][2]
Our honest read of the odds: if the phone was reset properly and the files were never backed up or synced, plan on them being gone, and be wary of anyone who promises otherwise. What remains worth trying costs nothing, and it is the cloud accounts above rather than recovery software. It also helps to separate a reset phone from a phone that simply will not turn on, because the second situation has very different odds.[1]
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Guided help: find your situation
Sources
Facts on this page are cited to the publishers’ own documentation.