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Updated on January 7, 2026
Deno
Participant
January 7, 2026 at 8:57 am
Q:

Phone reset itself overnight… missing files but apps came back??

Woke up to my Android asking me to set it up like new. Apps and contacts came back automatically, but a bunch of folders (downloads, photos) are gone. No manual backup done. How did *some* stuff come back but not everything?

Android recovery

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Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

Ezra Flint
Participant
January 7, 2026 at 10:10 am

Then chances drop a lot. You *can* try an android data recovery scan from a PC, but don’t expect miracles on modern Android.

Deno
Participant
January 7, 2026 at 10:08 am

Yeah… installed a few apps before I realized files were missing

Silas Vane
Participant
January 7, 2026 at 10:04 am

Important question: did you keep using the phone after setup? Installing apps overwrites deleted storage fast.

Isla Voss
Participant
January 7, 2026 at 9:56 am

WhatsApp media might still be in Drive if chat backup was on. Screenshots are usually gone unless Photos backup was active.

 

Deno
Participant
January 7, 2026 at 9:24 am

Mostly screenshots and WhatsApp images. Some camera pics too.

Kael Rowan
Participant
January 7, 2026 at 9:21 am

Also depends where the photos were. Camera folder vs random folders behave differently after a reset.

Nina Calder
Participant
January 7, 2026 at 9:17 am

You probably had partial sync on. Google backs up app data and contacts by default, photos need Photos backup enabled separately.

Deno
Participant
January 7, 2026 at 9:13 am

That makes sense, but why didn’t photos come back too? I swear I never turned backup on.

Jace Elric
Participant
January 7, 2026 at 9:10 am

Apps + contacts usually sync from your Google account silently. That part isn’t real “recovery”, it’s just re-sync.

Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

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