Symptoms
- Apps, photos, or settings are missing after an update finished
- Phone looks like a freshly set up device
- Some data remains but recent items are gone
- Update took much longer than expected before this happened
Likely causes
- PossibleUpdate process encountered an error and triggered a factory reset as a recovery measureIn rare failure cases, the system may wipe data trying to recover from a corrupted update.
- PossibleInterrupted update (power loss, low battery) corrupting dataA poorly timed interruption can, in rare cases, damage stored data alongside the OS.
- PossibleUser accidentally chose 'erase' instead of 'update' in a recovery toolIt's easy to select the wrong option when using an official recovery tool.
- Less commonA large-scale bug in a specific update versionOccasionally an update has a widely reported data-loss bug that gets pulled or patched quickly.
What to do
- Check if you have a recent cloud or computer backup from before the update.
- Restore from that backup through the phone's settings or a connected computer.
- If no backup exists, check if any cloud services (photos, contacts) that sync independently still have your data online.
- Search official forums or the manufacturer's support pages for reports of a known data-loss bug with the specific update version.
- Contact the manufacturer's support directly to report the issue and ask about recovery options.
- Going forward, always back up before installing a major software update.
- Avoid using unofficial data recovery tools that claim to reverse this, since results are unreliable and can risk further data loss.
When to call a pro
If there's no backup and important data is gone, a professional data recovery service may be able to help, though success isn't guaranteed once new data has overwritten the old.
Safety
Generally low risk
Generally low risk for a careful person. Stop if anything looks different from what this guide describes.