Skip to main content

The best data recovery apps for Android

Pixel 4 running Android 11 beta
John Velasco / Digital Trends

Losing important files or data is never fun. This can happen on your computer and laptop, and it can also happen on your Android smartphone or tablet. However, while Android owners might assume they have fewer options available to them in such a situation, there are a surprising number of applications out there for Android data recovery. We run through the best of them in this article, covering a range of software that can help you recover photos, messages, files, contacts, documents, music, and more.

Note that, in a majority of cases, these applications need to be downloaded to a Windows PC, although we’ll state otherwise if you can also download any app for Mac computers as well. Also, remember that some of these apps require you to root your Android device to recover certain files types.

Tenorshare UltData

Tenorshare Android Data Recovery feature page.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Tenorshare is one of the most popular Android Data Recovery applications out there, and with good reason. It supports most Android smartphones and tablets, including devices manufactured by Samsung, Huawei, Motorola, Sony, LG, and others.

It’s capable of recovering deleted Android photos without needing to root your device, while it also enables you to recover deleted WhatsApp messages, also without rooting your Android. If you’re prepared to root your phone, it will even let you recover lost contacts, text messages, and your call history. It claims it has the “highest data recovery success rate” in the industry, and while it hasn’t published any data to support this claim, its popularity makes it seem credible.

Even though it’s free to download for Windows, its full suite of features will require a subscription priced at around $40.

iToolab RecoverGo

iToolab RecoverGo recovery options.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The iToolab RecoverGo software works with 6000+ Android phones and tablets to help you recover deleted photos, videos, contacts, call history, and 11+ file types so you never have to worry about lost data again. It is compatible with most smartphone brands like Google, Huawei, Xiaomi, Samsung, Sony, LG, etc.

The best part about using this tool is that you can recover your data in one click without having to root your device. It also lets you preview the files before recovery so you can be sure you’re retrieving the right information.

It is free to download but the yearly subscription costs $40.

Wondershare Dr. Fone

Wondershare Dr.Fone Android Data Recovery options page.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Another widely recognized name, Wondershare’s Dr. Fone for Android is compatible with 6,000 Android devices, and can even retrieve data from broken Samsung devices. Regardless of whether you’ve accidentally deleted files or have suffered damage or a system crash, it can help you to restore lost contacts, text messages, photos, WhatsApp messages (only for rooted devices), music, videos, and documents.

As with Tenorshare’s UltData product, it also claims the highest success rate of retrieving data in the industry. However, while these manufacturers obviously can’t both be right, the high number of positive reviews Dr. Fone has online would suggest that it does a very good job, regardless of whether it’s the most successful.

As with other applications on this list, you can download it for free and check whether your lost files are retrievable, but actually restoring them will require a subscription of $40.

FonePaw

FonePaw Android data recovery app options.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

FonePaw is a rare Android data recovery application that you can also download for Mac, rather than only for Windows. Regardless of this difference, it’s at least as good as the other Android data recovery applications on this list. It supports thousands of Android devices, from pretty much every major manufacturer, including Google, Samsung, HTC, Sony, Huawei, LG, Motorola, and OnePlus.

The files you can recover using it are also numerous, covering deleted photos, videos, audios, WhatsApp, text messages, contacts, call logs, and documents. Another nice feature it offers is the ability to not only recover lost files from your Android’s internal memory, but also from SD and SIM cards. Most of this can be recovered without needing to root your phone.

Lastly, FonePaw is downloadable for free and can be used to view restorable files for free, but it will cost you around $50 for a single-user license for a year.

Jihosoft Android Data Recovery

Jihosoft Android Phone Recovery options.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Also available for Windows and Mac, Jihosoft Android Data Recovery is another highly effective and widely compatible application. As with other apps on this list, it currently supports over 6,000 Android devices, including models from Google, Samsung, Huawei, LG, Sony, Nokia, and Motorola.

Regardless of the reason why you’ve lost your files, you can use Jihosoft to recover your contacts, SMS messages, call logs, gallery photos, videos, music, audios, and WhatsApp and Viber chat histories. It’s easy to use and is one of the fastest recovery apps in terms of scanning your phone for retrievable files, while you can also use it to recover files you’ve lost on external memory cards.

You can use it as part of a free trial, but the full version will set you back $50.

EaseUS MobiSaver

EaseUS Android recovery options.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

EaseUS Mobisaver is one of the easiest Android data recovery applications to use. You simply download it onto your Windows PC, connect your phone and scan it, and then choose which files you want to recover. It’s as simple as that, letting you recover deleted or formatted photos, videos, messages, contacts, music, documents, and other files.

It works regardless of whether you’ve deleted files or lost them as a result of a virus or damage, and is compatible with devices from Samsung, HTC, LG, Google, Sony, Motorola, ZTE, Huawei, Asus, OnePlus, and others. You can also use it to recover data from corrupted SD cards.

It’s available as a free trial but costs $40 for the full version, although EaseUS will provide free one-year upgrades if you purchase it.

Stellar Android Data Recovery

Stellar Data Recovery for Android website.
Digital Trends

One more app to check out is Stellar Data Recovery for Android. You can recover photos, videos, messages, files, documents, contacts, and call history. It supports all Android phones including Samsung, Xiaomi, and OnePlus.

With Stellar, you can recover data from virus infections and broken devices, preview files before restoring them, and restore your data without rooting your device. The app supports multiple formats and also recovers WhatsApp chat, media, and attachments.

You can download Stellar Data Recovery for free and check out paid plans for multiple devices starting at $30 yearly.

Tip: Check out our comparison of EaseUS versus Stellar if you’re on the fence between the two.

Simon Chandler
Simon Chandler is a journalist based in London, UK. He covers technology and finance, contributing to such titles as Digital…
The Google app on your Android phone is getting a helpful new feature
Google app on Android beta showing Notifications.

The Google app for Android phones is getting a helpful new feature to make search even better. The latest beta has a dedicated "Notifications" feed in its bottom bar. The feature was first introduced on the mobile version of Google for Android earlier this year. The app feature was first noticed by 9to5Google.

The app now includes a Notifications option at the bottom, next to Discover, Search, and Saved items. The Notifications section displays a continuous list of alerts from Google Search, weather conditions, flight information, sports scores, movies and TV shows, and more. The notifications are grouped under “Today” and “Earlier." This feature should prove handy if you miss a notification from the Google app, as it provides a more focused view than Android's system-level history.

Read more
10 best apps and websites for downloading free books in 2024
Amazon Kindle (2022) Dark Mode

Reading is a pastime that has only benefited from the expansion of smart devices like phones, tablets, and e-book readers. No longer chained to the confines of flimsy paperbacks and weighty hardcovers, you can carry your favorite reads on any number of your devices without worrying about weighing yourself down, damaging the fragile paper, or just losing them.

There's also no shortage of e-books to read, with nearly every bestseller and classic now available in a digital format for your perusing pleasure. But free e-books? That's a different ballgame altogether. finding them can be on the tougher side. Thankfully, there are a number of apps and websites that either specialize in providing free e-books or have sections where you can find them.

Read more
The best tablets in 2024: top 11 tablets you can buy now
Disney+ app on the iPad Air 5.

As much as we love having the best smartphones in our pockets, there are times when those small screens don't cut it and we just need a larger display. That's when you turn to a tablet, which is great for being productive on the go and can be a awesome way to unwind and relax too. While the tablet market really took off after the iPad, it has grown to be quite diverse with a huge variety of products — from great budget options to powerhouses for professionals.

We've tried out a lot of tablets here at Digital Trends, from the workhorses for pros to tablets that are made for kids and even seniors -- there's a tablet for every person and every budget. For most people, though, we think Apple's iPad Air is the best overall tablet — especially if you're already invested in the Apple ecosystem. But if you're not an Apple user, that's fine too; there are plenty of other great options that you'll find in this roundup.

Read more