iPhone Screen Repair Gone Wrong—Data Saved After Battery Fire
iPhone Screen Repair Gone Wrong
Device Type:
SmartPhone
Data Loss Scenario:
Battery Fire
Client:
Consumer
Location:
Florida
DIY phone repairs can be risky, but one recent case took things to an extreme when fixing a phone screen led to a fire!
A customer hoping to avoid repair costs attempted an iPhone screen repair at home and accidentally overheated his device, triggering a battery fire. Within moments, the phone’s lithium-ion battery ignited, melting internal components and leaving behind what seemed like an unsalvageable mess.
The burned smartphone had years of personal photos, videos, and essential contacts. With the phone utterly destroyed, the customer assumed everything was gone.
This iPhone had been through a lot—multiple drops had cracked the screen. Instead of seeking professional repair, the owner decided to fix it himself. However, during the repair, he applied too much heat to loosen the adhesive, which caused the battery to overheat and char the iPhone from the inside out.
Once thermal runaway began—a chain reaction inside the battery—there was no stopping it. The phone ignited, causing extensive internal damage. Unlike a typical drop-your-phone accident, this failure caused severe internal damage and made recovery even more challenging. The battery connector fused to the board, plastic components melted together, and the 5G antenna and other essential parts were burned beyond recognition.
The device was no longer repairable; all signs pointed to permanent data loss. In addition, DIY attempts voided his warranty coverage, so there was no protection plan.
“Always avoid off-the-shelf data recovery software or tools. Such approaches could further damage the device and potentially make data unrecoverable.”
Mike Cobb
Director of Engineering
DriveSavers Data Recovery
Despite the fire damage, there was still hope. The phone was beyond saving, but the data inside wasn’t necessarily lost. Our engineers specialize in extreme data recovery—even in cases where a phone seems beyond repair. They took a meticulous, multi-step approach to extract the critical files stored inside.
First, DriveSavers engineers carefully removed and disposed of the damaged battery, separating the melted connector from the phone’s logic board. They then desoldered the burned antenna module from the board and removed melted debris, inspecting the logic board for underlying chip damage. Fortunately, the primary storage components were still intact, which meant the possibility of recovering the data.
Next, they created a stable boot environment. Because the phone couldn’t power on normally, the engineers desoldered the two halves of the logic board and used specialized tools to bypass the damaged components and safely access the data. After entering the correct passcode, the device booted up into a recovery state.
The engineers extracted and verified over 40GB of data, including thousands of photos, videos, and contacts. Even though the phone was unsalvageable, DriveSavers fully recovered the customer’s priceless memories.
This case is a cautionary tale about the risks of DIY phone repair, particularly when dealing with modern iPhones that have tightly integrated lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are highly sensitive and can become volatile if punctured, mishandled, or exposed to excessive heat. In recent years, lithium-ion battery fires have become more common, posing significant dangers to users who attempt repairs without the proper tools or expertise.
Many people assume that if a device is physically destroyed—whether from fire, water damage, or severe impact—their data is lost forever. However, that isn’t always the case. Even when a phone appears beyond repair, specialized data recovery techniques can often retrieve critical information. With the right expertise and advanced technology, valuable photos, messages, contacts, and documents may still be recovered, offering a glimmer of hope in an otherwise disastrous situation.
If a smartphone has suffered a battery fire, severe liquid damage, or other catastrophic failure, taking the right steps can make the difference between recovery and permanent data loss.
- Assess the damage – If the device shows signs of fire, corrosion, or significant board damage, contact a professional data recovery service; a traditional repair will not help.
- Avoid powering it on – Attempting to turn on a damaged phone can cause further short circuits or, in the case of water damage, corrosion, reducing the chances of recovery.
- Handle the logic board carefully – In cases of extreme damage, improper handling can make recovery more complex.
- Seek professional data recovery services – Even if a phone is no longer functional, a data recovery specialist may still be able to retrieve the stored information.
Even in extreme situations—like a battery fire—there’s still hope for recovering critical data. Professional data recovery services can often retrieve what seems lost forever, whether a data storage device has been burned, crushed, or submerged in water.
We specialize in recovering data from severely damaged devices. In addition, DriveSavers is an Apple Recommended Service Provider, so your iPhone warranty will never be voided by our data recovery service.
If you or someone you know has experienced catastrophic phone damage, don’t assume everything is gone. Contact DriveSavers today to learn more about how we can help.
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