Mobile phone forensics requires more than copying visible files. A defensible examination considers lawful authority, preservation, acquisition method, device condition, data sources, limitations and the chain of custody. Wildfire provides evidence-conscious mobile data recovery and forensic acquisition services from its Brisbane laboratory.
Services are available for device owners and authorised legal, corporate and investigative matters. Locked-device, deleted-data and application-data recovery is model-, condition- and authority-dependent; no method can guarantee access to every device or artefact.
Do not reset, update, unlock repeatedly, install software or continue normal use. If the phone is powered on and stable, do not change its state without advice. If it is liquid-damaged, swollen, overheating or unstable, stop charging it and call immediately for safe-handling guidance.
Record who handled the device, when it was collected and any changes made. Keep chargers, passcodes, recovery keys, linked account information and relevant legal authority available, but do not send passwords in an unsecured message.
Forensic tools do not bypass every passcode, encryption control or hardware failure. Deleted data may have been overwritten or removed by encryption, application behaviour or storage management. A court or tribunal—not the laboratory—decides admissibility and evidentiary weight.
Wildfire focuses on recovery, acquisition and technical reporting. Broad cyber-incident response, employee monitoring, unrestricted device investigation and legal opinion require appropriately qualified advisers.
For a personal phone that is broken, wet or not powering on, visit mobile phone data recovery. For storage media and broader recovery matters, see forensic data recovery and digital forensics.
Sometimes. Results depend on the phone model, operating-system version, encryption, application behaviour, backups, device condition and how much the phone was used after deletion.
Support varies by model and software version, and lawful authority must be established. We assess available methods after identifying the exact device and condition.
No laboratory can guarantee admissibility. We can document handling, methods, results and limitations. The court determines whether evidence is admitted and what weight it receives.
You must be the owner or have lawful authority to submit the device and request the work. Legal representatives and organisations should provide instructions identifying the authorised scope.
Potentially. Repair-assisted acquisition may be considered when necessary to stabilise the device, but every intervention is assessed against preservation needs and the agreed scope.
Describe the device, condition, required data, deadline and your authority to request the work. Avoid changing the phone while the assessment is being arranged.