iPhone Won't Turn On: Data Recovery

Why Most “Dead” iPhones Still Have Your Data

Every iPhone stores data on a NAND flash chip soldered to the logic board. This chip is a passive storage device. It does not need power to retain data, and it does not participate in the power delivery circuits that fail when a phone dies. The NAND sits on its own power rail (PP3V0_NAND) and communicates with the CPU over a separate data bus. When a capacitor shorts on VDD_MAIN or VDD_BOOST, the NAND is electrically uninvolved.

The components that fail are the ones that handle power: decoupling capacitors on the main voltage rail, the Tristar and Tigris charging ICs, boost converter circuits, and occasionally the coils that deliver power from the PMIC to the CPU. A single capacitor worth fractions of a cent can make an iPhone appear completely dead. Remove that one capacitor with a soldering iron and the phone boots normally.

This is why board-level repair exists for data recovery. We do not replace the motherboard (which would erase your data, since the NAND and CPU are cryptographically paired). We find the specific failed component, remove or replace it, and restore the power path so the original board boots with your original data intact.

VDD_MAIN Shorts: The Most Common Fix

VDD_MAIN is the primary power rail on the iPhone logic board. It feeds every major subsystem. Dozens of decoupling capacitors sit on this rail, each one filtering noise for a different circuit. When one of these capacitors fails short-circuit, it creates a dead short between VDD_MAIN and ground. The entire rail collapses. The phone draws 2A+ on the DCPS without being prompted to boot, and will not respond to any button combination.

Diagnosis starts with diode mode on any VDD_MAIN test point. A healthy rail reads around 0.350-0.500V in diode mode. A shorted rail reads 0.000-0.005V. Once the short is confirmed, we inject 4V at 2A directly into the shorted rail using bench power clips and apply freeze spray across the board. The shorted capacitor heats up because all the injected current flows through it to ground. Freeze spray evaporates on contact with the hot component, making it visible. A thermal camera accomplishes the same thing without the spray.

The fix is removal. The phone functions normally without the capacitor. These are decoupling caps; they filter high-frequency noise, but the circuit runs fine without any single one of them. Reinstalling a replacement cap adds unnecessary heat exposure to the board for no functional benefit.

Common Short Locations by Model

CPU Communication Failure

The “brain dead phone” draws 20-40mA on the DCPS after a boot prompt and then does nothing. No screen activity, no Apple logo, no vibration. The power rails are not shorted. The PMIC is delivering voltage. But the CPU cannot execute its boot sequence because it has lost physical connectivity to the rest of the board.

On iPhone 7, this is almost always caused by broken coils above the CPU: L1801, L1804, and L3302. These coils deliver power from the PMIC to the CPU through tiny inductor packages surrounded by underfill (a rigid epoxy that Apple uses to reinforce solder joints). Over time, the underfill cracks from thermal cycling and mechanical flexion. When the underfill cracks, the coils detach from their pads. The CPU loses its power input and sits at a low idle draw. Finding these broken coils requires clearing the underfill with heat and solvent to expose the solder joints underneath.

On iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, the problem is different. The CPU itself develops solder ball fractures. The telltale sign: press down on the CPU with a fingertip while the board is connected to the DCPS, and the phone boots. Release pressure, and it dies. This confirms that one or more BGA solder balls under the CPU have cracked and are only making contact under physical pressure. This is a difficult repair because the CPU cannot be removed and reballed without destroying the Secure Enclave, which would make the data permanently inaccessible.

Our Diagnostic Process

Every dead iPhone follows the same diagnostic sequence. The order matters: each step eliminates categories of failure before we commit to a repair path.

1. Visual inspection under microscope: Before applying any power, we remove the shields and inspect both sides of the board at 10-40x magnification. We look for cracked ICs, corroded pads, burn marks, displaced components, and signs of previous repair attempts. On sandwich board models, we check the interposer area for separation. The visual inspection alone identifies the cause in a meaningful number of cases.
2. Known good parts test: We connect a known good battery, screen, and charge port to rule out accessory failures. A dead battery, a broken screen, or a damaged Lightning flex can all make a phone appear dead when the board is fine.
3. DCPS current draw analysis: We connect the board to the DC power supply at battery voltage (3.8-4.0V) and prompt it to boot. The current draw pattern identifies which of the five failure categories applies. This is the single most informative diagnostic step.
4. Diode mode testing on power rails: Using a multimeter in diode mode, we probe the major rails: VDD_MAIN, VDD_BOOST, PP3V0_NAND, backlight, and the charging circuit lines. A shorted rail reads near 0.000V where a healthy rail reads 0.350-0.500V. Diode mode identifies shorts without applying power, which protects the board from further damage.
5. Voltage injection and thermal imaging: For confirmed shorts, we inject 4V at controlled current into the shorted rail and locate the heating component using freeze spray or a thermal camera. The shorted component absorbs all the current and heats up while surrounding components stay cold.
6. Microsoldering repair: We remove the failed component, clean the pads, and verify the short is cleared by rechecking diode mode. For charging IC failures, we reball and install a replacement Tristar, Tigris, or both. For broken coils, we clear underfill and resolder the coils onto freshly tinned pads.
7. Data extraction: Once the power circuit is restored, we boot the phone with a known good battery and screen, enter the passcode, and copy all data to external storage. The phone only needs to stay alive long enough to complete the transfer. We do not repair cameras, speakers, or cosmetic damage for data recovery jobs; we fix only the circuits needed to boot and access the file system.

What We Can and Cannot Recover

Not every dead iPhone is recoverable. Here is an honest breakdown of what we see and what the outcomes look like.

If your phone falls into the “not possible” category, you pay nothing. Our no data, no fee guarantee means we only charge when we deliver your data.