I've been googling with no luck that I can tell. Most things say use the cloud (mine wasn't sync'd), or hook a cord up and use software.
If the phone is completely dead, won't take a charge nor do any buttons work at all (even if I try the double button hold to get to the bios, that won't work either) am I out of luck?
Is it worth trying to download software on my laptop and connecting to the phone even though there is zero power to it, or are my 4 years of photos just hosed?
I found an iPhone in the middle of a street one morning, after a stormy night of heavy rains.
. . .
Hmmm, kinda sounds like the first line of a good phone mystery story !=)) . . .
Anyhoo, it was completely dead; wouldn't turn on at all; that was about the net of it.
So upon arriving home I submerged the iPhone in a big bowl of rice (don't recall what kind, my wife gave it to me out of the pantry; maybe it doesn't really matter), as I had heard about doing so, somewhere, and left it submerged for a couple days. Then tried to power it on....but nothing.
So I re-submerged it and left it submerged in the bowl of rice for another couple of days. Then after approx 4 days of being submerged in the rice....whilst walking by the bowl I pulled it out, and
voilà ! ....it powered up!
Went to the iPhones' Contacts > called the phones owner > and a very very thankful young college-aged lady met me the next day to retrieve her precious iPhone.
Edit: I realize that your dead one's probably not moisture related, but as I remember it, I also left the phone plugged into it's wall charger — the whole time it was submerged in rice, as well.
The moral of the story . . . the ol' bowl of rice angle can work !;-)