How to Recover Photos from Stolen/Lost iPhone

Losing your iPhone, whether due to theft or misplacement, can be distressing. Apart from the device itself, the data and memories stored on it, such as photos, are invaluable. So, here comes the question: can someone unlock your stolen iPhone and can you and how to recover photos from the stolen iPhone?

Fortunately, there are methods to recover photos from a stolen or lost iPhone. This article outlines these approaches to help you retrieve your precious memories. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Part 1. How to recover photos from stolen iPhone from iTunes backup

If you had been regularly backup your old iPhone to iTunes, you can use this backup to recover your photos, as well as all other contents after getting a new iPhone. Make sure you have installed the latest version of iTunes on your computer, and follow the steps below.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to computer with USB > You may need to tap Trust on your iPhone. If you haven’t set up your iPhone, set it up first, and click Restore from Mac or PC in the Apps & Data page.

Step 2. Launch iTunes, click the phone icon > Choose Summary > Click Restore Backup.

Step 3. Choose the latest backup version > You may be asked to enter the passcode if you encrypted backup > Finally, click Restore to begin the task.

iPhone won’t restore iTunes backup? You can go to this page: [2023] Top Fixes iPhone Won't Restore Problem to restore iTunes backup to a new iPhone using a third-party tool.

Part 2. How to recover photos from stolen iPhone from iCloud backup

And of course, you could also retrieve photos from lost iPhone from iCloud backup. You can restore either everything or only photos from iCloud backup according to your needs. Here is how to recover photos from lost iPhone with iCloud.

Option 1. Restore the whole iCloud backup to new iPhone
Step 1. If you had already set up the device, you will need to erase all contents and settings first. To do this, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. This should take you to the setup screen.

Step 2. Follow the setup assistant prompts until you get to the Apps & Data screen and then choose “Restore from iCloud Backup”.

Step 3. Sign in to iCloud and select the most relevant backup. Stay connected to the Wi-Fi network until the process is complete.

Option 2. Recover only photos from iCloud backup
To utilize this method, the prerequisite is that you have enabled iCloud Photos on your stolen or lost iPhone. Then, follow the steps below to retrieve photos.

Step 1. On your new iPhone, go to the Settings app > [your name] > iCloud.

Step 2. Locate and tap Photos > Toggle on the switch next to iCloud Photos.

Step 3. When a window prompts, select either Optimize iPhone Storage or Download and Keep Originals.

After all your photos are downloaded, you can open your Photos app and select App Photos to view them.

Bonus tip 1. How to recover lost photos from iPhone without backup

If your iPhone photos are lost or accidentally deleted, AOMEI Data Recovery for iOS gives you an option to recover lost photos and other types of files from iOS devices without backup.

Just in case, you can click the download button to install the software to your PC and recover your accidentally deleted and lost photos from iPhone.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to PC with USB > You may need to tap Trust on your iPhone > Launch the tool and click Scan from the left pane.

Step 2. Once your iPhone is successfully recognized by the tool, click Scan Now.

Step 3. When the scanning process finishes, preview and select the photos you’d like to recover > Click Recover button to initiate the restoration process.

Bonus tip 2. Selectively backup iPhone photos without data lose

How can you avoid iPhone data loss to the greatest extent? The best answer may be regularly backup your iPhone. Here we’d like to recommend FoneTool. Different from iTunes, you can rely on FoneTool to backup only wanted files to computer, which helps save your time and have a clear idea of what you have backed up.

Free download FoneTool to your computer to have a try to selectively backup iPhone photos.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to PC > Launch FoneTool, and choose Phone Backup > Selective Backup to click Get Started.

Step 2. Check the Photos icon and uncheck the others > Select the photos you’d like to backup > Click OK to confirm. You can also add other data here.

Step 3. You can modify the destination to save your backup files > Click Start Backup and your photos would be backed up to computer in seconds.

Summary

Losing a iPhone is an unfortunate experience, but the loss of your cherished photos can be especially distressing. By using available backup options, such as iTunes and iCloud, you can recover your photos even if your iPhone is stolen or lost. Additionally, data recovery software can help you retrieve lost photos without a backup. To safeguard your memories in the future, consider using FoneTool to selectively back up your iPhone photos.