Android Hacked: Any way to recover photos from my Android without backup?

Around 7 months ago, someone got access to my phone and deleted my entire photo gallery. I didn’t have any backups active at the time, and when I checked Google Photos, only a few random pictures were recoverable. The rest seem completely gone.

I spoke to a phone repair tech recently and he said that over time, the phone saves new files over old deleted ones, so it becomes harder as time passes.

I’m just wondering if that’s really true? Or is there any tool, app, anything I can try to bring at least some of them back? They’re very personal photos, and I’d be really grateful for any help or insight

Android recovery

All Replies

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

Gianna

Participant

July 17, 2025 at 6:02 am

No SD card, sadly. But I’m going to try that software scan today. Just crossing fingers something’s left

Nina Calder

Participant

July 17, 2025 at 5:43 am

I’ve seen this exact thing happen with a friend. If your phone has a microsd card (some Samsung models do), check if some of the photos ended up there. They’re way easier to recover from than internal storage.

But yeah, if not, go with a PC based recovery scan. Worst case, you at least know what’s possible.

Mira Lennox Lennox

Participant

July 17, 2025 at 5:27 am

If your phone’s still working and hasn’t been factory reset since the deletion, you can try software available for Windows PC. I used one recently when I wiped my whatsapp chats by mistake..it let me preview what could be recovered before doing anything. Didn’t need root either.

It’s worth trying a deep scan just to see what’s left. You don’t lose anything by scanning.

Gianna

Participant

July 17, 2025 at 5:12 am

Thanks guys. I haven’t tried anything serious yet, mostly because I didn’t want to mess things up more. Any specific tool you’d recommend? I don’t mind paying if I know it might actually work.

Jace Elric

Participant

July 17, 2025 at 5:04 am

What @KaelRowan said is true. Once data is marked as deleted, it’s kind of a race against time. Also, 7 months is a long time… still, a faint hope is there.

Have you tried using a pc based android data recovery software? Some don’t need the phone to be rooted and can at least scan the device to show you what’s recoverable before you pay anything.

Kael Rowan

Participant

July 17, 2025 at 4:48 am

Unfortunately, that tech guy wasn’t wrong..Android does reuse storage space when files are deleted. It marks that space as available, and new data can overwrite it. So yeah, the more you’ve used the phone since then, the less likely those old photos still physically exist on the storage.

But it’s not guaranteed everything is gone. Sometimes bits survive, and that’s where recovery tools can help. Chances obviously slim..but yeah..atleast a try!

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)