iPhone VERY Personal - PLEASE HELP!

[BONVLAH]

Please help me - I am running out of hope and this breaks my heart.

My iPhone is stuck in recovery mode. Let me start by saying I am not a computer savvy person, nor have I synced my phone to my computer, have it backed it up, or have iCloud for that matter. (Trust me I realize my mistake)

This is personal request I am asking anyone who has any knowledge that could help me - PLEASE!

My father recently passed away and on my phone is a birthday voicemail and text messages he sent me. I would do anything to get these back as they are irreplaceable and sentimental to me.

It started when I plugged my phone in for an update. I have not updated my phone in quite sometime, and everyone says it is pretty basic to do. I start the update and when i come back an hour later my phone only shows the itunes symbol and usb cord on the screen. With that, the only option it now gives me is to restore the phone, which would erase everything and put the phone back to factory settings. I have tried the tinyumbrella, redsn0w, and recBoot. Nothing has worked. I have called Apple, spoken with Genius Bar, and Apple contacted AT&T to try and recover just the voicemail. They all concur that once the phone is in recovery mode there really isn't anything to do other then restore it. I have been frantically researching the internet for some sort of hope. Now I am asking ANYONE please - I will do anything. Can Pay you for your services. I have heard that there are recovery sticks that are often used in court to retreive deleted texts and voicemails. I would be willing to buy one of these, however I do not know if it would work with the phone in recovery mode? If anyone has any ideas, suggestions, anything - I am willing to do whatever.
PLEASE help me.

[iPod]

Did you back up your phone before updating? If you did the update should have saved the voicemail and texts...I'm not 100% sure though. But if that were the case then you should be able to restore and then restore from backup...

[butler007]

I'm on iPod touch and have never been in recovery mode, so sorry if what I say is completely wrong (hopefully someone else can build on my suggestion!) Can you get it into DFU mode when in recovery mode? If so then you could access the files via iFunbox, but I'm not sure if voicemails are saved as a file on the device or if they're part of a wider system. Anybody know? The text messages should be saveable though if the above does work...

[zoolman88]

I should try looking into programs that read the backup. You can pull the data out. Like iPhone backup extracter.

[EVO]

Please do not post duplicate threads!

I should try looking into programs that read the backup. You can pull the data out. Like iPhone backup extracter.

I dont think iPhone Backup Extractor will work because it requires accessing the backup files, which the OP did not perform backups of from itunes (I'm assuming based on what the OP said)

I'm on iPod touch and have never been in recovery mode, so sorry if what I say is completely wrong (hopefully someone else can build on my suggestion!) Can you get it into DFU mode when in recovery mode? If so then you could access the files via iFunbox, but I'm not sure if voicemails are saved as a file on the device or if they're part of a wider system. Anybody know? The text messages should be saveable though if the above does work...

ifunbox will NOT recognize a device if it cannot get pass the bootup stage, which includes DFU mode.

Voicemails are tied to a person's phone number, not the device itself.

Did you back up your phone before updating? If you did the update should have saved the voicemail and texts...I'm not 100% sure though. But if that were the case then you should be able to restore and then restore from backup...

the OP did not have anything backed up, and has not synced the device with itunes (assumed from the OP's "nor have I synced my phone to my computer" statement)


I'd hate to be a pessimistic considering your circumstances, but I'm not sure there's anything such as an easy fix for this situation. The iphone 4s does not have a lot of FIXES when it comes to these stubborn issues.

You may want to contact a professional electronics company to see how they might be able to assist you recover the text messages, but the voicemails should be in your voicemail inbox.

I'm assuming you already tried holding the home+power button until it turns off then releasing it once it turns back on to the apple logo?

[iRevival]

To be honest this peaked my interest. I did some digging and it looks like you cant check your voicemail online. However it does seem that if you call yourself and press * when it goes to voicemail you can login and check. Perhaps you could put the other phone on speaker phone and record the voicemail so you can save it. Or for better quality you could connect an auxilliary cable (a cable with a headphone jack on each side) to the phone and computer. One end into the phones headphone jack the other end into the computers microphone port. After that load up some type of software for recording and start recording, THEN start playing the voicemail. That should get the voicemail for you. I just called myself from my girlfriends phone and it worked fine. If you need anymore help or want me to do it for you (I have the cables and software for this) just let me know, I'd be happy to help.

As far as the text messages go, as long as the backup went through you should be fine, but if it wiped your iphone without backing it up then they are most likely gone. Especially being in the restore loop. I'll shoot you a PM with some more info.

[zoolman88]

If it updated with iTunes it should have made a backup. iTunes makes a backup everytime u sync or restore a device. Well mine does. I would download a backup extractor tool and give it a shot. If it made a back up the info is on ur computer and u should be able to extract it and listen to it on the computer anytime u want.

[EVO]

If it updated with iTunes it should have made a backup. iTunes makes a backup everytime u sync or restore a device. Well mine does. I would download a backup extractor tool and give it a shot. If it made a back up the info is on ur computer and u should be able to extract it and listen to it on the computer anytime u want.

yes that is definitely a good shot to take though if the OP had ever plugged it into the computer at least once

[zoolman88]

How did up update via iTunes or over the air? Because u if u plugged into iTunes to update there should be a backup. But if it's over the air then odds are u have lost everything.

[iPod]

Wait, the OP didn't even back up before updating??

[EVO]

Wait, the OP didn't even back up before updating??

that doesnt seem like it according to the first couple lines

However, all the suggestions, although appreciated, is all about backups

[iRevival]

that doesnt seem like it according to the first couple lines

However, all the suggestions, although appreciated, is all about backups

I still think calling the voicemail from another line is the way to go. They'll atleast get the voicemail saved.

[iPod]

I still think calling the voicemail from another line is the way to go. They'll atleast get the voicemail saved.

Yeah just pop the sim card into another phone and dial voicemail..

[Susty]

Man... I hate that... Ok, Here's something you can try (I've used it on 3G/3GS when they've been stuck in recovery & the other programs failed for me), I'm not saying it WILL work for you, but it's worth a shot... Make sure it's plugged in & your on windows mind... The only thing I've ever noticed when doing this (just follow the instructions when you run the program) is that if when you do it & the "connect to itunes" doesn't come up.... LEAVE it plugged in... the phone will take longer than normal in booting up...Why I don't know but it's saved my skin so I'm not complaining So here's hoping.

The actual download is near the end of the blog.

iPhone stuck in recovery mode – how to fix. | Nathan Parrott Blog

[iPod]

This might be spam...theres been a lot of replies but we haven't heard from the OP

[EVO]

This might be spam...theres been a lot of replies but we haven't heard from the OP

Spam typically does not start like this

[iPod]

Spam typically does not start like this

Sorry I meant troll, not like a spambot

[BONVLAH]

This is NOT spam! Or "troll"? (I don't even know what that is)
I thank everyone for their responses and time!
I still have not been able to fix the phone....

Thank you for the suggestions about the voicemail. I have tried calling from another phone to retrieve the voicemail, by * and my digit passcode. Unfortunately I seems to only store about 15 saved voicemails. I went through them all, non were of my father. I deleted some to see if more would recover, but they did not. (Unless someone knows how to retrieve saved voicemails from another phone) I really would love to get the birthday voicemail back - though I must say that dates back to October.

As far as backing the phone up or syncing it. I have synced this phone before in the past at least one time that i remember. It was quite some time ago, but I have done it. Maybe with the particular bday voicmail being from Oct, that could be backed up somewhere? I did use the cord to the computer when I did this sync.

I want to mention also - sorry I did not in the original message, bare with me I am not what you would call a computer person - when I was attempting to do this update I was not on my orginal laptop where I have synced the phone once prior before. I was on a different laptop. I do not know if that makes a difference? The laptop I have synced the iPhone on prior does not pick up wifi in my house for some reason so I used this one that I am on now. Has itunes, but like i said - my iPhone has not been synced to this particular computer. Once again, I don't know if that matters! With that being said, I took my orignal laptop to Panera to use the wifi. I turned it on, plugged in the phone while holding the power button. Waited and nothing happend. I open iTunes - nothing. It doesn't seem to even register my phone being plugged in. The phone at this point is on and is showing the iTunes symbol logo and usb cord. I turn the phone off and back on a few times, nothing. Any suggestions?

In the meantime, a friend loaned me her old iPhone. I put my sim card in that so I at least have a working number. It's scary driving around without a cell phone in this world! (P.S. I did take the sim card out of the borrowed phone and placed it back into the "recovery broken iPhone" before I plugged it into the orignal laptop)

I do not want to lose hope on this entire matter. Please - if anyone has any ideas??! I thank everyone who has responed so far, you all are great.

Bonnie

[EVO]

download a program called tinyumbrella (search google), then plug in your iphone to the laptop, and on the left side under "Connected Devices," see if the program detects your phone. If it does, on the right side, click on "Fix Recovery" and see if it kicks the phone out of recovery mode

if it does not detect it, uninstall itunes, Apple Mobile Device Support, and Apple Application support, then reinstall itunes and see if itunes will detect the phone now

[raduga]

What model of iPhone?