iPad Data Recovery

The iPad: a more complex device than it looks from the outside

From the outside, the iPad looks simple. A large screen, no keyboard, no complicated ports. On the inside, modern models share the same architecture as the iPhone: NAND memory soldered to the board, hardware-level encryption, and a security chip that manages access to the data.

The iPad Pro with Apple Silicon goes one step further: it uses the same family of chips as a MacBook with Apple Silicon, and its sealed design makes opening it a delicate job. Opening an iPad without the right equipment can turn a recoverable problem into one that is not.

That is the starting point: before making any decision about what to do with an iPad that does not work, it is worth knowing whether the data is accessible. The diagnosis exists to answer exactly that question.

Common scenarios we see

Broken screen and the iPad will not start. The impact damaged the glass and something inside as well. The iPad shows no sign of life or starts intermittently. A broken screen can be repaired, but if the board is damaged, it is worth getting the data to safety before any repair that involves replacing it.

Liquid damage. The iPad fell into water or was exposed to moisture. As with the iPhone, the rule is not to switch it on if you can avoid it. Liquid on the board does not cause the damage at the moment of contact — the corrosion that follows when power is applied does.

iPad stuck on the Apple logo. The operating system does not finish loading or gets stuck in a boot loop. It may be a software problem that can be solved without data loss, or it may be a sign of a board fault that needs a deeper diagnosis.

Professional iPad with years of work stored on it. This is the situation of many designers and illustrators: an iPad Pro with hundreds of Procreate, Affinity Designer or Adobe Fresco files that were never synced to iCloud, or with layers and states that were not saved in the last session. The loss is not just files — it is hours of work that cannot be recovered any other way.

What data can be recovered

If the iPad’s internal storage is accessible, we can work to recover: files from drawing and design apps (Procreate, Affinity, GoodNotes, Notability), Pages, Numbers, Keynote and PDF documents, notes from the Notes app, photos and videos from the local library, voice recordings, and any file that was saved to the device’s internal storage. Files that only exist in iCloud — with no local copy — are not part of this service.

What we do not do

We do not recover iPads locked by iCloud without the credentials of the linked Apple Account. Activation Lock is independent of the physical state of the hardware.

We do not repair the iPad so that it works again. If the screen is broken or the device has physical damage, that is a separate repair job — which iRepairs can do if you choose. Our job is to save the data.

We do not guarantee access to encrypted data when the device’s security chip is damaged. In those cases, we tell you clearly in the diagnosis.

Why Peach and not a conventional repair shop

A trusted repair shop can replace an iPad’s screen or battery. But if the fault is inside the board — a damaged component, corroded traces, a chip that does not respond — their tools are not the right ones for recovering data. Board-level work on modern Apple devices requires electronic diagnostic equipment and precision micro-soldering, not just screwdrivers and heat.

Specific experience with encrypted APFS, Apple’s file system, also makes the difference. Reading a drive is not the same as understanding how Apple organises and protects information on its devices.

When to contact us

Before making any irreversible decision: before accepting that the iPad “cannot be fixed”, before formatting it to sell it, before a repair shop tells you it needs to be wiped in order to repair it. The diagnosis is free if you accept the quote, and if we recover nothing, you only pay shipping.

Write to us with the iPad model, the approximate year and a description of the fault. With that information we give you an initial, no-obligation assessment.