[Emmatxx]

Hi there , was wondering if someone could help me ?
I have broke the screen on my Samsung S4 , its totally blank now, but when I plug my phone in the laptop via USB it says theres no pictures on my phone ? Its only the screen that is broken and I never had the pictures saved on a memory card just on my phone. Quite annoyed as I have pictures of my little boy on it !
Any ideas welcome
Thanks

[Ealevenish]

1) That's a good object lesson for making backups, isn't it?

2) Connect your device with a laptop or desktop computer using a USB cable. Find the 'DCIM' folder on your device and copy it to the computer. Your boy's photos should be in that folder.
Then remotely install the free 'AndroidLost' app from the Play Store to your device using your Gmail address and password. Then use AndroidLost to remotely wipe thr device before you take it in to get that screen repaired (you don't want your device's content in the hands of some anonymous repair guy, do you?)

Sent from my GT-N7000 using AC Forums mobile app

[Emmatxx]

That's why I want my pictures off it before I get it fixed . I should've stated that I cant use the phone as the screen is completely black.

[Don164]

That's why I want my pictures off it before I get it fixed . I should've stated that I cant use the phone as the screen is completely black.

I recommend following the 1st reply as that will help and I if yourself would like to get other photo/images off your phone, be sure to check the "Photos" folder on your SD card when you plug it into your PC/ Laptop

[Emmatxx]

No luck at all , when I plug it into the computer its saying I have no files whatsoever . This will teach me though , will never buy a hi tech phone again as they are not as hardwearing .

[Ealevenish]

No luck at all , when I plug it into the computer its saying I have no files whatsoever.

Then it's not only your screen that's cracked, Emma!
In that case I recommend you try, using a computer, to install AndroidLost on your device, wipe it clean, and take it in for repair. And chalk up the loss of those pictures to experience...

If you can't install AndroidLost, and consequently can't wipe that phone remotely, then I would seriously consider destroying it well and good. Physically. Like under a steam roller or with a sledge hammer!!! And simply getting a new one and restoring my contacts and apps to it from my Gmail account ("My Apps").

This will teach me though , will never buy a hi tech phone again as they are not as hardwearing .

What? Are you planning on using jungle drums and smoke signals from now on? Or withdrawing to a mountain top for the rest of your life?

Of course a high-tech device is, by definition, a sensitive device. So it needs to be treated as such: carefully!
Preparing for/protecting against disaster is also a good idea. You may want to protect your phone with a good bumper case, like one from Otterbox.

[Emmatxx]

I never stated that it was "cracked" , I said it was broken , so never went into detail what was wrong with it, It is cracked and the lcd is broken. I am only asking advice not a life lesson , I would rather have a phone that will last instead of one that will fall 5 cms onto the ground and completely smash and then lose things . And for matter of fact I had a good case on my phone, and still the screen managed to break.

[Ealevenish]

I never stated that it was "cracked" , I said it was broken , so never went into detail what was wrong with it, It is cracked and the lcd is broken. I am only asking advice not a life lesson , I would rather have a phone that will last instead of one that will fall 5 cms onto the ground and completely smash and then lose things . And for matter of fact I had a good case on my phone, and still the screen managed to break.

ANY phone in the 21st century is a high tech device, Emma! So ANY phone is a sensitive device. So ANY phone requires careful handling! NONE is 'hard wearing' out of the box. It's not a solid block of steel.
You may not like that (who would?), and I understand that you're upset about losing those photos, but that doesn't change reality.

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central, and that's a real bummer! Do you know if the phone actually turns on? That is, even though the screen is broken, can you still hear tones from it, or see working LED light? If so, then you really ought to be able to see those photos when you hook the phone up to your computer via USB. Do you know where the camera was saving photos to--the Internal Storage or the External SD Card? Try removing the external SD card, and inserting it into your computer (using a full-sized SD card adapter) and see if the photos are there.

I don't think anyone's trying to lecture you here--it's just that all devices, regardless of whether they're hi or low tech, are prone to easy breakage, and it's hard to predict what kind of stress will cause significant damage. I've dropped expensive phones from chest height, and been extremely lucky that they survived--but other people have dropped devices with a case from knee height, and they landed just right (or wrong) to shatter the glass. So in the future, any kind of precious information (like family photos) should be backed up or synced regularly, to avoid this kind of heartbreak.

[Emmatxx]

Ok im not arguing with some sad act on a forum !! I only came on for advice on how to get pictures off my phone of my son, I will now happily go and buy a much cheaper sturdier model that will last twice as long ! thanks for the advice though

[Ealevenish]

+1 for B. Diddy

Important data/information/media should NEVER 'live' in just one place (like on your phone) because if that 'place' breaks you're up fecal creek without a paddle as the OP found out. Important data/information/media ought to be backed up regularly.

[Emmatxx]

Thanks for the helpful reply ! B. Diddy , Theres noise coming from my phone and I am still recieveing messages, I cant unlock the phone as the touch screen has broke. I can see half the screen , so the LCD is broken , I have plugged the phone into my computer via USB cabel (I didn't have a External SD card) and when its In the computer it says no files found when I open the Samsung Galaxy S4 folder up. I don't think theres anyway to get it back.

Ok I think we all get that we should back things up , but that's not what I am asking ! I am asking how to get my pictures off the phone , If you don't know then don't reply . Thanks again !!

[Ealevenish]

Ok I think we all get that we should back things up

"We"...?
You clearly didn't, or you wouldn't have this problem!

but that's not what I am asking ! I am asking how to get my pictures off the phone , If you don't know then don't reply . Thanks again !!

I see, you don't want to hear unpleasant news. Understandable, who does? But covering up your ears and eyes, and singing LA-LA-LA-LA as loud as you can doesn't make unpleasant news go away like magic, you know.

[B. Diddy]

What's done is done. Let's work on trying to salvage the photos if we can.

Posted via Android Central App

[B. Diddy]

When the phone is plugged in, is there a subfolder under the Galaxy S4 listing that says Internal Storage?

Posted via Android Central App

[Ealevenish]

When the phone is plugged in, is there a subfolder under the Galaxy S4 listing that says Internal Storage?

As far as I understand the OP there is no identifying listing. As far as I understand the OP the computer does identify 'a' device is connected, but can't read either its ID or its contents. Which means a cracked screen is not the only problem. Which means there's also a logic/system problem. Which is pretty fundamental. Could be hardware, software, or both.

Of course the OP could send the handset to the Mobile Data Extraction Division at the NSA, who can probably extract those photos from it in 10 seconds flat...*
Or to one of those outfits that also specialize in resurrecting crashed harddisks. That will cost a pretty penny, though. And she would still need to fork out for a new phone too!

*hey they've probably got 'm stored already! Now there's an idea: the NSA as our free national backup service! So they can be useful to us, after all! God knows we've already paid for it in taxes 100 times over!

[B. Diddy]

The OP described trying to open a "Samsung Galaxy S4" folder, so there might be hope.

Posted via Android Central App

[Aquila]

If you do not care for a post, please either ignore it and move on or report it if you feel it violates forum rules. There's no need to troll someone who is just asking for help.

OP - When you plug it into the PC are you seeing it as a disc drive with folders and such or how does it appear when it's connected?

[dctokyo]

OP - When you plug it into the PC are you seeing it as a disc drive with folders and such or how does it appear when it's connected?

Can you kindly take a screenshot of what NothingIsTrue is asking you and post the screenshot here? Also did you have any backup software installed or was anything syncing with your google account?

[Emmatxx]

When I put my phone into the computer it just pops up with a Samsung Galaxy S4 folder when I open it theres nothing there at all. The screen is broke and is completely blank although the phone is making noise and appears to be continuing to work even though the screen isn't. I don't think I have anything backed up (Silly of me I know) I do have a google account though.

[Mike Bolland]

You need to unlock the device to see it

Use a micro usb to usb cable to plug in a keyboard and type the keylock code

Or get a MHL cable to plug in a hdmi to see the screen

[christina0413]

Im having this SAME exact issue. I just received my new phone, and before i send my old one back i would like to see if i can get some of my pictures, files, and/or music back onto my new one somehow

[seaotter0808]

I am having the EXACT same problem. My phone's screen has just gone to the wind; it is black, and when I press the power button, I can see a few things on my screen (the battery percentage, the "emergency call" button on the home screen, but not the numbers to unlock my phone) and they are GREEN...mm? I had a warranty on the phone so I was sent a new one. Have the new one and wanted to recover my photos (im in high school, and I have prom pictures that I want to recover). However, when I connect to the computer via USB, the file says it is empty. I have done backups before, don't know who did it, but I have gotten updates on my phone plenty times that the "update is complete". I thought it may have been through google+, but there are no pictures on my account. does anyone know where I can find the photos that were "backed up"?

[dbareis]

that the "update is complete". I thought it may have been through google+, but there are no pictures on my account. does anyone know where I can find the photos that were "backed up"?

Unless you know that the "update is complete" message was for photo backups that could have been almost anything.

If you have a dropbox account check it online, same for Google Drive and Google+, if you were backing up to an SDCARD did you take it out of the broken phone?

[Abbypop]

the exact same thing happened to me too about 2 weeks ago now!!! i dropped my samsung s4 on a bike ride(even though it was in a pretty protected case) and the LCD smashed and it started of with a corner of the screen being green but now the whole screen is black apart from a few things. Ive got a new phone now because it cost around 200 pounds to repair but i still really want my photos back as there was soo many memories on there. i was wondering if you ever found a way to sort it out? if so please help me!!!