Access an Android Phone with Broken screen

It's frustrating to see a phone with a non functional screen lying around, with technically no use. My techie hands started becoming more quirkier than ever. Just couldn't control the urge to fix it.

It takes lot of time, and lot more money to buy a new screen and get it fixed. So, that wasn't my solution.

I started coming up with all possible ways to not just access my broken phone, but also control it.

 

First of all, you can't access your phone in all scenarios. That's the bitter truth. 

If you just want your personal information recovered, you can use a data recovery tool or go to a professional who can do that. 

However, not all have to go to a professional to get data recovered.

It's worth noting that it won't hurt to try out the suggested methods here, if you could.

Access your Phone's internal storage

The first and foremost thing you should try is: Plug in your phone to your computer (preferably Windows) using a USB cable.

If by some chance and luck, you have enabled File transfer, You can be worry free, for most part. You can, foremost, backup all your valuable data to your computer.

Next up, if you have a screen that works by touch (If the touch digitalizer or/and the touch input still works), then you can head over to storage ➔ Gallery ➔ Screenshots. 

After that, take a screenshot on your phone (Using volume keys and power button combo), and the screenshot should appear in the folder.

Control your phone using Your Phone (Windows)

In the most slimmest of the chances, if you have a windows computer that's paired with your phone using Your Phone (pun intended) app, you can easily control your phone without having to access Phone storage.

So first and foremost update the Your Phone app from the Microsoft Store on you Windows 10 or 11.

Now, Head over to the Photos tab, and try taking a screenshot in your smartphone (using the volume rocker and power button combo) and you should see your screenshot there. 

What's more interesting is that you can delete your photos from your laptop!

Now, you have harnessed the power to navigate to various apps in your broken phone. Let's make it usable now.

Using USB Debugging and ADB to access your Phone

Similarly, unlock your phone and head over to settings and enable developer options. I know this is exhausting, but you might not have an another go.

Enable Developer mode by going to Settings ➔ About phone and tap on Build number seven times. Return to the previous screen to find Developer options (toast notification) at the bottom.

Then enable USB debugging by Developer options ➔ USB Debugging.

How do you control your device?

It's simple, use an USB OTG (On-The-Go) Cable. 

With the help of OTG, you can connect your wireless keyboard or mouse adaptor to the OTG Cable at one side and plug the other side of the cable to your phone, and if your phone supports it (Most of the phones do luckily), then you should see a cursor on your phone!

There's a catch here. Not all phones support it. Even though OTG first implementation was recorded in 2001, the technology itself in a smartphone or tablet became more common in 2017 or so.

So phones from 2018 or 2019 have the highest chances of OTG Support. 

A simple way to check if your Device supports OTG or not is to Google your device model name and type OTG Support after it.

Installing scrcpy

Now, you would have to install scrcpy.

scrcpy is a cross platform application designed to use Android's ADB (Android Debugging Bridge) API for controlling your phone using ADB debugging. 

As you might have heard, ADB Debugging is heavily used by android developers to get access to system logs and information about crashes and more. 

While you may not be a developer, you are using ADB debugging for a completely different purpose!

So, go to this link, and download the app for your required operating system (instructions given in their GitHub readme file).

And then download Android Developer Tools (which packs ADB, fast-boot and etc.) from it's official website. Download the tools for your respective operating system. 

Note: You could also try many of the ways given below by the official Android team here.

Now, Head over to terminal now by going to Start Menu ➔ Type Command Prompt ➔ Run as Administrator.

First, verify that ADB is properly installed by typing the following command:

 adb devices

This should list your connected devices. If your phone appears on the list, you're all set.

Next, connect your phone to your computer via USB and make sure that USB Debugging is enabled. With scrcpy installed, launch it by typing:

scrcpy

This command will start the scrcpy application, and you should see your phone’s screen mirrored on your computer. You can now control your phone using your keyboard and mouse, and access all your data and apps as if you were using your phone directly.

Being Cautious: 

Safeguard other phones beforehand to prevent yourself from all this hassle in case your phone's display becomes unusable. While we can't predict when a screen might break, we can certainly perform precautionary measures beforehand to save our backs. Here are a few tips you can follow.

Additional Tips:

1. Backup Your Data: Once you’ve successfully accessed your phone, make sure to back up your important data to a safe location. This will prevent any data loss in case of future issues.

2. Repair or Replace the Screen: While these methods can help you retrieve your data, they are temporary solutions. It’s advisable to get your phone’s screen repaired or replaced to ensure full functionality.

3. Prevent Future Issues: To avoid such situations in the future, consider using cloud services for automatic backups and enable features like Find My Device or similar services for easy recovery of your data in case of hardware issues.

In conclusion, while dealing with a broken phone screen can be incredibly frustrating, these methods offer viable solutions for accessing and controlling your device. Whether you use USB debugging, an OTG cable, or scrcpy, you have options to recover your data and regain control of your device without resorting to expensive repairs immediately.

Remember, always handle your devices with care to prevent damage, and keep your important data backed up regularly to avoid such predicaments.