When it comes to mobile data and devices, you might think everything is stored in and recovered from the cloud or signal provider’s servers. In theory, this is true. But, when it comes to certain files, that’s only true if the user chooses to back them up.
What does this mean if you want to find data you think you’ve lost? Or, if the information held on a phone could be relevant or helpful to a police investigation?
For the former, if there’s data on a phone, then it can be retrieved, even after it’s been wiped. The latter? Well, Australian laws allow your data to be accessed in certain situations by law enforcement and the Government. So, once access to the phone in questioned is gained, important data can and will be recovered and used as evidence, if required.
Some mobile data is only available on the device
As we stated above, some data from your smartphone doesn’t automatically migrate to the cloud or servers. They include:
- Photos; they’re only available on the cloud if they are saved onto it.
- Standard text message content is only stored on the phone in the majority of cases. And, if it is stored on a server, it’s typically only for a few days.
- Apple imessages that have been backed up to the iCloud can be decrypted. But, if they’re not saved, they’re only available on the iPhone itself.
- iPhones and Android phones store frequently visited locations on the handset, that isn’t available from servers or clouds.
- Personal contact lists are only available on the cloud if they’re saved to it – they aren’t automatically sent to it.
How to wipe your mobile data
For those of you who want to wipe your mobile data from your device, the right way to go about it as you would expect. Go to settings and do a factory settings reset. However, while this is the right thing to do, it doesn’t mean your device is completely data free.
If you know how and where to look on a smartphone, any data previously stored on it can be found and used. Although, it can only be found by people who are looking for it and know how to retrieve it.
If you’re wiping your old phone to sell it on, or give to a family member, there’s an additional measure to take. Before you restore factory settings, re-set your old passwords to long, obscure details. An 11-digit long code with lots of upper and lower case letters as well as including grammatical marks too, should do it!
By doing this, you make it much harder for someone to find and use your old details, because they’ll struggle to get past the pass-code.
We can find your mobile data
We can get back all your saved details, favorites and payment set-ups. Your mobile data rarely just disappears from your phone, you just need to know where to look for it.
