My iPhone screen suddenly went black and no longer responds, but the phone still vibrates when I receive calls or notifications. I have photos and other data that aren’t backed up. Is there any way to recover them without being able to unlock or use the screen?
Force restart first, saved me a bunch of times with stuff like this. Won’t touch your data at all. Volume up, release, volume down, release, then hold the side button. Normally you’d wait for the Apple logo, but obviously you won’t be able to see it with the screen dead, so give it 10-15 seconds before letting go. Also try calling it from another number, and say hey Siri out loud too.
@iDeviceFan_73 Tried that, nothing. It does still ring tho when I call, and Siri answered when I yelled at it from across the room lmaoo
Worth trying a computer you’ve synced with before, it might still show up in Finder or Apple Devices. But you’ll probably still need to unlock the iPhone before it can access the data over USB, which obviously isn’t happening if the screen is dead. Still worth the 30 sec though.
Yeah tried it, just shows charging. No backup option or anything 
Figured. I wouldn’t mess with DFU if the data matters. Recovery Mode’s a bit different though, since Finder can offer Update or Restore. Update reinstalls iOS without intentionally wiping your data, while Restore erases the phone. So I’d avoid Restore entirely while the data still matters.
An independent repair shop’s probably your move at this point honestly. Some of them can temporarily swap in a working display just to get the phone unlocked and make a backup before doing the actual repair. Not every shop offers this, but it’s worth calling around and asking specifically.
Once you’re able to get a backup made, make sure you keep a copy on your own computer too, just in case. Had a case once where Disk Drill found a couple of old photos in an existing iPhone backup that I didn’t even remember having. Worth checking if it comes to that.
Update!! Went to an independent repair shop nearby, they popped in a working display just long enough to unlock it, then let me back it up to my laptop myself before I left. They only charged me a small diagnostic fee for that, which was honestly a relief. Waiting on the actual screen repair now but data’s safe at least 