Can't trust computer due to broken screen

And as apparently none of you recent posters seem to get - without a backup already in place, the simple single answer for the op is their data is gone and there is no way to backup now that the device is not responding. So yes, the solotion is indeed to make backups regularly so you have one when needed. Deride the rest of us all you want, but if you care about your data, back it up. If you don't, then at least be adult enough to acknowledge you're out of luck when the device fails, for any reason.

Just because you don't like the answer given does not make it any less true. Nobody here can magically change simple reality for any poster.

Michael Black wrote:

- without a backup already in place, the simple single answer for the op is their data is gone and there is no way to backup now that the device is not responding.

Well that is indeed a very simple answer... but is a complete falsehood.

As mentioned earlier, anyone who finds themselves in this situation can take the phone to a good independent repairer who can hook on a temporary screen and HELP the user gain access to their data.

SunOfRa78 wrote:

Michael Black wrote:

- without a backup already in place, the simple single answer for the op is their data is gone and there is no way to backup now that the device is not responding.

Well that is indeed a very simple answer... but is a complete falsehood.

As mentioned earlier, anyone who finds themselves in this situation can take the phone to a good independent repairer who can hook on a temporary screen and (maybe)HELP the user gain access to their data.

<the (maybe) added by me for accuracy>

I edited that for you for accuracy. You nor any other independent repair service provider cannot guarantee the persons data will be recovered. Again, simply keeping up to date backups (preferably both iCloud and iTunes and then backing up the iTunes backups with TM or some other computer backup) is the best way to assure your data is safe and recoverable, no matter what happens to your device (Included a third party repairer botching the job, which is another common type of post found on these forums).

People keep skating around the issue instead of simply learning to follow a sound backup strategy.

With a backup in place, this very sort of original post is not even an issue or concern to begin with.

Sounds like you're out to change the world's backup habits Michael. Hate to break it to you, but it's not going to happen. Humans by and large are extremely complacent, and major procrastinators. For that very reason alone, this will always be an issue. Along with all the other reasons why people find themselves in this situation (holidays, lack of computer etc).

I guess your edit of my post is apt considering that maybe 0.5% of these types of cases the damage is too catastrophic to be able to help.

Trust me I'm well aware of the foibles of humans with regard to electronic data storage 😁 But yes, on these forums i will continue to point out how many people's posted problem or issue simply would not exist at all had they bothered to make a backup beforehand. I've been doing it here for 15 years, but maybe at least a few people will get the hint. So many posts here would be moot if the poster had simply taken 10 seconds to enable iCloud backup, or a few minutes to plug into iTunes. Instead, they're posting here and facing a complete data loss and then complain when there is no magic quick (nor free) fix.

Hi there, I know this is late but i had the same problem and i was the i was only able to click the right side of my screen. What i did was i used siri to go to settings and then scrolled down to the accessibility to change the font to the largest size. Once i did that, i was able to click trust! Hope this helps!

peyote wrote:

It's also just as easy to have apple initiate an auto backup system.

They already did so, years ago. It's called iCloud backup (for iOS devices) and Time Machine (for OS X devices). Both systems, once initiated, backup automatically in the background. These have to be amongst the most trivially simply and easy to use backup systems of any consumer products on the planet.

peyote wrote:

..., they would roll it in a automated system with the cloud invisible to the user instead of having people respond so condescending.

As stated, they've already done that (although no backup of personal and private data will ever be wholly invisible to the user - that's called stealing and invasion of privacy - at the very least, the user will always have to initiate the backup system of their own personal data themselves and assume responsibility for monitoring that it continues to work as setup over time).

As for the rest of that stream of consciousness ramble, I have no idea what you're even trying to say with that.

Michael Black wrote:

peyote wrote:

It's also just as easy to have apple initiate an auto backup system.

They already did so, years ago. It's called iCloud backup (for iOS devices) and Time Machine (for OS X devices). Both systems, once initiated, backup automatically in the background. These have to be amongst the most trivially simply and easy to use backup systems of any consumer products on the planet.

peyote wrote:

..., they would roll it in a automated system with the cloud invisible to the user instead of having people respond so condescending.

As stated, they've already done that (although no backup of personal and private data will ever be wholly invisible to the user - that's called stealing and invasion of privacy - at the very least, the user will always have to initiate the backup system of their own personal data themselves and assume responsibility for monitoring that it continues to work as setup over time).

As for the rest of that stream of consciousness ramble, I have no idea what you're even trying to say with that.

First off between my iMac & phone, there was never enough space for iCloud backups even at $9.99 a year. Before iCloud was mainstream, Apple gave the option to have an auto-backup system over wifi to mac, but mine never worked as advertised so I never had a reliable backup. I, like many others that have more to backup than is available on iCloud, use backups from computer. And Invisible to the user means that it takes care of backups after I sign for it without me worrying about paying for extra space.

Secondly, iCloud service is not as simple as it should be because backups are not free . It's another way to monetize which, as you know, (cough: apple cube, apeture, etc.) not everything they poop can be monetized directly. I log in with my .mac, or .me, or .icloud whatever 3 times a day & I can't have one free or "in the background invisible from my actions.?" Oh yea, time machine does that but only 30% of userbase know how to use it. Anyway, does t matter, I certainly didn't come her to hypothesis is with Michael black.

As for the rest of my "stream of consciousness ramble?" Let me simplify what I said: apple users like Michael Black and other high level contributors that think they're doing god's work from apple's clouds, are doing apple a disservice & are condescending to the tune of the SNL Jimmy Fallon office computer guy (look it up). Plain & simple, iCloud backups should be free & seamless without evangelists spewing its perfection & broken screens should not be a one-way ticket to ****. It's asinine.

iCloud CANNOT be used to backup an OS X device. That is not currently nor ever has been possible. As for iOS devices, I readily backup a 64GB iPhone 6, a 128GB iPad Air2 and a 128GB iPad Pro, all in the FREE 5GB OF iCloud storage made available with every new iCloud account (iCloud backups are highly compressed and ONLY backup App data - not Apps themselves, not music, not mail, not contacts, etc - so they only need to include a minority proportion of what is on your iOS device). So yes, backups are free for a very great many iOS users. And yes they are indeed seamless for the vast majority of users as they simply occur automatically every single night when they plug in their iPad or iPhone to charge overnight.

And as far as wifi sync to iTunes, I and a great many others used it and still use it without issue. It works very well for a great many people. I don't know why you had issues with it, but that hardly means that everyone or even many people also did.

Time Machine requires, and always has required, a physical device to backup to - an external or internal hard drive, a Time Capsule or other networked hard drive. And I'd argue that far more than 30% of OS X users are aware of TM since it actively prompts users to use it when it (a) it is not yet setup, and (b) it detects a new device. It is also a prominently advertised feature of OS X, is usually mentioned by Apple employees themselves to shoppers, and is also integrated with an Airport Time Capsule which is a popular wifi router for consumers of Apple products.

<Edited by Host>

Thanks for posting the only useful suggestion in this thread.

Anyone who feels the need to post "well you should have backed it up" while someone is trying to recover data deserves bad things to happen to them lol.

Finally, someone intelligent enough to provide a helpful solution. Thanks.

Let me be more clear that I used the screen only so I could back up the data. Most repair places will do this for a minimal fee. Since I was buying a new phone, this was the cheapest option & price will vary but mine was under $40.

we don't need a morality lesson here, if you don't have an answer to help why answer at all?

I Agree. First, let me say I have the same problem. Second, the phone regularly backs up to iCloud. It tells me when I haven't backed up recently. Third, I actually don't care about data, there's nothing to lose. Yesterday my phone screen froze. The bottom half in explicably displayed the camera button, the top half showed the passkey numbers, which still worked but said incorrect password each time. The swipe down and up panels worked, and the torch even functioned. but Siri wasn't working and the power button didn't and nor did the big one at the bottom, so no hard reset. After a few minutes the screen went blank. The phone still vibrates when you flick the mute switch, so something is still working. In desperation, I thought I would see if I could connect by iTunes. But it says please respond on your phone. It can see the device, and I assumed it responded enough to try to connect. So still some hope. Maybe connecting to iTunes couldn't help me, but I will never know because there is no alternative available to 'touch your screen'.

anyway, the phone is probably screwed. But looking on here for answers I have read nothing more than 2 years of a bunch of pompous know it alls sneering at someone who asked a simple question. Yes or no would suffice. If we wanted a lecture it certainly wouldn't be from you lot. Call yourself a community?