This is a review of PhoneRescue, a software tool for recovering lost data on iOS and Android smartphones.
I’m a tech guy and have offered IT training and support over several decades and written software reviews and how-tos for business users. I’ve taken an in-depth look at PhoneRescue to let you know how likely it is to recover lost data on your phone.
I have not yet found a recovery tool that could rescue every file I deleted and PhoneRescue is no exception. In fact, half of the apps I tested recovered a little more lost data. PhoneRescue may help and many of them did it faster, so you’re likely to have a little more success with an alternative.
In this PhoneRescue review, I’ll explore the types of data the application can restore, how long this is likely to take, and weigh up your chance of success.
Let’s get started.
Contents
PhoneRescue Overview
PhoneRescue is a comprehensive data recovery solution for iPhones and Android phones. The software runs on your computer and scans your cable-attached phone.
It runs on Windows and Mac and there are separate applications for iPhones and Android phones:
- PhoneRescue for iOS: $69.99/year, $99.99 lifetime
- PhoneRescue for Android: $59.99/year, $89.99 lifetime
The company offers significant discounts on a regular basis. A free trial will show you if your files can be recovered before paying for the application.
In this review, we will focus on the Mac version of PhoneRescue for iOS. I found that its scans are relatively slow, and in my test other applications were able to recover more lost data.
Recovery Features
How is data recovery possible? When you delete information from your phone, the data isn’t actually removed, just marked as available space. In time, it will be overwritten by new information, so it’s best to attempt recovery as soon as possible.
Methods of data recovery offered:
On iOS:
- Directly recover from your iOS device
- Recover from an iTunes or other backup on your computer
- Recover from an iCloud backup or sync
On Android:
- Directly recover from your Android device
Supported devices:
iOS:
- iPhones: iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone SE (2nd Generation), iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro (Max),iPhone XR, iPhone Xs (Max), iPhone X, iPhone 8 (Plus), iPhone 7 (Plus), iPhone SE, iPhone 6s (Plus), iPhone 6 (Plus), iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, and more
- iPads: iPad Pro (4th Generation), iPad Pro (3rd Generation), iPad 7, iPad 6, iPad Pro (2nd Generation), iPad 5, iPad Pro, iPad mini 5, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad Air 3, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad 4, and more
- iPod touch: iPod touch 7, iPod touch 6, iPod touch 5, iPod touch 4, iPod touch 3, iPod touch 2, iPod touch 1, and more
Android: Most Android devices are supported, including Samsung, Huawei, LG, and Google. iMobie maintains a full list of supported devices and models. [1]
Supported data types:
On iOS:
- Contacts
- Notes and attachments
- Calendar
- Reminders
- Photos
- Videos
- Voice memo
- App documents
- Call history
- Messages
- Safari bookmarks and history
No third-party messaging apps are supported.
On Android:
- Contacts
- Photos
- Videos
- Music and audio
- Documents and app data
- Messages and SMS
User Experience
PhoneRescue is easy to install and set up. You can use it without any technical knowledge, and retrieve your lost data in just three steps:
- Select the recovery mode
- Scan for and preview lost data
- Complete the recovery
Android users are not required to first root their phones. This is done automatically as part of the recovery process. Many other recovery applications require the users to perform this step themselves, and less experienced users may find this offputting.
Performance
Scanning for lost files can be time-consuming. How fast is PhoneRescue?
To find out, I created a test contact, photo, note, voice memo, calendar event, and Pages document on my personal 256 GB iPhone, and then deleted them. A scan with the Mac version of PhoneRescue took 3 hours 30 minutes.
That’s slow compared to many competing apps. Five other apps scanned the same phone in about an hour. Only one app, Dr.Fone, was slower and took six hours to scan my phone.
Fortunately, PhoneRescue allows you to select the types of data you want to recover, which can significantly reduce the time required. But note that the time I quoted above didn’t include every category, just the file types that I had deleted for the test.
Effectiveness
Data recovery can never be guaranteed. How effective is PhoneRescue?
Unfortunately, it was only able to recover two of the six items I deleted, the contact and the Apple note. Every other app that I tested was also able to recover those items. Five out of the ten apps were able to locate one additional item. Data recovery on mobile devices can obviously not be guaranteed!
PhoneRescue doesn’t just show you the lost and deleted items on your phone, it also lists the entire contents of your phone. Fortunately, you can select “List only deleted items” from a drop-down at the top of the screen. Why it doesn’t do this by default is beyond me.
I was able to recover the items directly back to my iPhone. Some apps are unable to do this and save the files to your computer instead.
Customer Support
The iMobie Support Center offers searchable product guides and FAQs as well as handy links to your account, canceling a subscription, contacting support, and requesting a refund. Support can be contacted via an online ticketing system. [2]
FAQs
Is PhoneRescue safe?
Yes. The scanning procedure won’t affect your computer or device, though it’s a good precaution to back up your phone first. The software is free of viruses and malware and doesn’t bundle third-party software.
Is PhoneRescue free?
No. The free trial version will show you the data that can be recovered, but you need to pay for a license to actually recover it.
Can I use PhoneRescue on my phone?
No. It runs on a Windows or Mac computer and scans your phone once you connect it with a cable.
Alternatives
If PhoneRescue isn’t right for you, here are some alternatives I recommend.
Aiseesoft FoneLab offers fast and effective scans for iPhones and Android devices, but Android users are required to root their devices themselves. Windows and Mac versions are available.
EaseUS Mobisaver’s scan was faster than PhoneRescue’s while locating more lost data. It can recover data from iPhones and rooted Android devices and versions are available for Windows and Mac.
Like PhoneRescue, Wondershare Dr.Fone automatically roots Android phones as part of the recovery process. Its scans are even slower than PhoneRescue, but in my test, it was able to recover more lost data.
Final Verdict
PhoneRescue may be able to retrieve lost data from your phone, but you should keep your expectations in check. I tested ten different mobile recovery apps, and none of them were able to recover every file that I deleted. PhoneRescue’s scans are slower than most and half of the apps I tested were able to recover more data.
In most cases, you’re likely to have more success with an alternate application such as Aiseesoft FoneLab, EaseUS Mobisaver, and Wondershare Dr.Fone. Start with the free trial to see whether the application can locate your lost data and if it can’t, move on to the next alternative.
References
Pat Greener
Re questioning the lack of default choice for deleted items only – is it overly cynical to consider the possibility that more ‘interesting’ information is revealed when the entire phone is open for inspection?
With all this data-retrieval Apps, you basically have to grant permission to allow access to every part of your phone – and I often wonder just how tight the security is at the other end . . . . . happy thought.