Shattered, but data is more important than glass
The most frustrating part isn't a cracked screen. It's when a shattered display stops registering your touches, the phone won't unlock, and inside you have a year's worth of chats, vacation photos, or work contacts. We see this on a regular basis.
The good news is that in most cases, your data can be saved even before the repair. The main thing is not to panic and to avoid a few common mistakes that I'll cover below.
Why is your data even at risk?
A shattered display is one thing. But after an impact, it can get worse: the touch sensor stops working, the phone doesn't respond to touches, the screen goes completely black, or it starts living a life of its own—ghost-touching everywhere. In this state, you can no longer go into settings and make a backup.
Here's a real-life example. Someone brought in an iPhone 13 that they dropped in their building's entryway, screen split in half. The phone turns on, everything works—only the glass is completely trashed. Face ID works fine. This person got lucky: they managed to make a backup themselves right at our service counter. But it's not always that simple.
What to try yourself while the phone is still responsive
1. iCloud — the fastest way
If the phone is responsive in any way and connected to Wi-Fi, go to Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup and tap 'Back Up Now'. It will take anywhere from five minutes to half an hour, depending on the size. There is 5 GB of free iCloud storage; if that's not enough, you can quickly buy a monthly 50 GB subscription and then cancel it—it costs pennies.
2. Finder or iTunes on a computer
Connect your iPhone to a Mac or Windows PC with a cable. On a Mac, open Finder; on Windows, open iTunes. The phone will ask you to trust the computer. If the screen is responsive, confirm with a tap. If not, sometimes connecting to a computer that the phone has already trusted before saves the day: the prompt won't appear. Select 'Back Up Now'—your contacts, messages, photos, and app settings will be saved to your hard drive.
3. Photos separately — via AirDrop or Google Photos
If your iCloud is full and there's no computer nearby, send your photos via AirDrop to a Mac or iPad. Or turn on sync in Google Photos: it works in the background and doesn't require any active steps on your part.
When you can't handle it on your own anymore
There are situations where it's best to go straight to a technician:
- The screen is completely dead—no image, no touch response
- The phone turns on but won't unlock: Face ID doesn't recognize your face, and the passcode digits can't be pressed on the shattered screen
- The device won't turn on at all after the impact
- The touch sensor is acting up—registering ghost touches and preventing you from navigating where you need to
We had a case where someone brought in an iPhone 12 Pro that fell from a bar counter. The screen was shattered, and the touch sensor wasn't working at all. The owner spent several hours trying to hit the emergency call button, thinking they could unlock it somehow. It didn't work. We connected the device to our test bench using a hardware interface and specialized equipment—and ended up recovering everything. But the longer such a phone sits idle, the higher the risk: the battery can swell, and memory degradation can begin.
What you absolutely shouldn't do
Don't try to disassemble your iPhone yourself if you want to keep your data. Inside, there are ribbon cables that can tear with a single clumsy move. One torn display cable, and your chance of making a backup is gone. And don't hand your phone over to the first technician you find without discussing data safety first—ask in advance if they know how to work with a partially non-functional screen.
If nothing helped, come on in
At iClub.pro on 35 Kommunisticheskaya St., diagnostics are free. We'll check the condition of your phone, assess the real chances of saving your data, and tell you honestly what can be done. We work with everything from iPhone 6 to iPhone 16 Pro Max—we have the experience and we have the tools.