Wondershare Dr Fone Full Review with Key
dr.fone is associate all-round package for managing knowledge on your iOS and humanoid devices. It will recover your deleted files, backup saved knowledge, and restore it to a different device. in addition, dr.fone offers variety of helpful tools like lock screen removal, rooting, screen recording, and a lot of to assist manage your phone or pill. during this review, we’ll specialise in the information recovery feature, that is maybe the explanation why you would like to use the program.
It seems that knowledge Recovery didn’t go fine throughout our tests. Photos that were “recovered” were reallyphotos that were still on the device itself. Some recovered photos didn't have constant quality because theoriginals. dr.fone was able to recover a number of different things, like bookmarks and contacts, however the take a look at files we tend to purposefully deleted for the program to seek out were lost.
Your mileage might vary. Anyway, we’ll share a lot of details concerning our findings below. It’s price noting that knowledge recovery is simply one in every of the numerous options that dr.fone offers. It’s a touch an excessive amount of for U.S. to review all of them at the instant. we should always note that we tend to just like the all-in-one construct that dr.fone pursues; it permits U.S. shoppers to pay less cash and find a lot of done. during thisregard, the program offers worth, and that we advocate it.
WHAT i favor
Reasonable rating.
A LOT of various options and tools for managing iOS and humanoid devices.
Great UI/UX makes the package simple to use and perceive.
Prompt email response from the Wondershare support team.
WHAT i do not LIKE
The data recovery feature wasn't able to recover all our files.
dr.fone ToolKit for iOS OVERALL RATING: three.7 out of five Mac/PC, $19.95+VISIT website
Quick Navigation
// Why must you Trust Me?
// what's dr.fone?
// WHO ought to Get It?
// Does dr.fone Work? active Testings
// Reasons Behind Our Reviews & Ratings
// Alternatives to dr.fone (Free & Paid)
// Conclusion
Wondershare Dr Fone Full Review
Why must you Trust Me?
Have you ever had your smartphone malfunction, brought it to client service to possess it fastened, and paid a fullton of cash simply have it break once more a handful weeks later?
Hi, my name is Victor Corda. I’m a technical school enthusiast with endless curiosity. I tinker heaps with my smartphones and that i grasp I’ll mess them up a method or another. I conjointly had to be told numerous ways in which to mend the issues I caused within the 1st place. Learning a way to resurrect a smartphone from the dead has become a natural issue on behalf of me.
The process of doing this can be quite tedious and needs heaps of analysis. For this dr.fone review, I got the possibility to check the program. I hoped dr.fone might facilitate cut the educational curve thus well that even non-techie folks might use the app with confidence. to judge the standard of their client support team, I even sent them associate email. you'll scan a lot of below.
Disclaimer: this review is freed from any influence from Wondershare, the maker of dr.fone. we tend to wrote it up supported our own active tests. The dr.fone team has had no editorial input on the content.
What is dr.fone?
Dr.fone is associate app for iOS and humanoid users to rescue lost knowledge and manage files keep on the device. The program was developed by Wondershare and originally named knowledge Recovery for iTunes.
Around 2013, the corporate modified the name of this product and gave it a a lot of branded name: dr.fone (which feels like “Doctor Phone”). dr.fone started as a third-party iDevice backup program, as Timothy L. Warner mentioned it in page 260 of his book “The Unauthorized Guide to iPhone, iPad, and iPod Repair: A DIY Guide to Extending the lifetime of Your iDevices!” printed on Gregorian calendar month twenty six, 2013.
Since then, dr.fone has been through variety of major updates. The latest, version 8, is capable of backing and retrieving knowledge from iPhone, iPad, and humanoid devices. The dr.fone Toolkit conjointly encompasses avariety of smaller utilities that enable you to record device screens, erase knowledge firmly, root humanoid, etc.
Who ought to Get It?
The core perform of dr.fone Toolkit is knowledge recovery — that means if you’ve accidentally deleted some files off your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or Android-based phone or pill, the program might assist you recover them. dr.fone conjointly claims it’s able to restore knowledge once your device is purloined, broken, or unable also up, given that you've got a backup.
Meanwhile, the toolkit conjointly includes a number of different tools to backup your device, transfer WhatsApp knowledge, record screen activities, wipe out the device before utilization, etc. during this sense, dr.fone is a lot ofsort of a suite for iOS and humanoid users just in case of any knowledge emergency.
Is dr.fone Safe?
Yes, it is. we tend to tested each dr.fone Toolkit for iOS and dr.fone Toolkit for humanoid on our PCs and Macs. The program is freed from malware and virus problems once being scanned by Avast Antivirus for laptop, and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and Drive Genius on a MacBook professional (based on macOS Sierra).
Regarding the navigation among the program, dr.fone is additionally safe to use. as an example, the informationRecovery module off of your device (or iTunes backups) 1st, then displays all found files. After that, users have the choice to extract that knowledge to a laptop or mackintosh folder.
Wondershare Dr Fone Full Review
No, the program isn’t free. however it will provide an endeavor version that has sure limitations demonstration functions. It’s price noting that once you’re mistreatment the information recovery modules, if a scan within thetrial version didn’t notice your lost knowledge, don’t get the total version–it won’t notice or recover your knowledge either.
Before we tend to write this review, we tend to discover that several folks on the web had claimed dr.fone may be a scam. In our opinion, this can be not true: In our tests, we tend to found dr fone might recover your deleted things, tho' the chances don't seem to be invariably 100%. That’s why we tend to encourage users to undertakethe demo versions. don't purchase the total versions unless you recognize what they provide.
With that being same, it’s doable that Wondershare or its partners might have launched digital promotingcampaigns exaggerating the capabilities of their product, urging potential customers to form purchase choiceswith incentives or limited-time offers like discounts, coupon codes, etc.
Does dr.fone Work? active Testings
Fair disclosure: thanks to the actual fact that dr.fone is really a set together with dozens of smaller utilities and options, it’s unlikely that we tend to might take a look at out every feature. we tend to couldn’t mimic each knowledge loss situation. Also, we've a restricted variety of iOS and humanoid-based devices; it’s not possible for U.S. to check the program on all Android phones and tablets. That being same, we’ve tried our nearly to provide you associate in-depth review of dr.fone.
Test 1: ill knowledge from associate iPhone with dr.fone for iOS
Note: The “Data Recovery” module in dr.fone really includes 3 sub-modes: endure iOS Device, endure iTunes computer file, and endure iCloud computer file. My associate was unable to directly take a look at the primary sub-mode as a result of his iPhone five was lost throughout a visit to amusement park. notwithstanding, I documented findings from PCWorld below. you'll conjointly move to the “Test 2” section to ascertain results once my associate used associate iPad four to check this sub-mode.
Sub-test: ill knowledge from iPhone directly
Liane Cassavoy from PCWorld reviewed the terribly early version of dr.fone. At that point, the program solely had 2 modules. As she place it, “dr.fone tackles iOS knowledge recovery in 2 ways: Either from the iOS device itself or — just in case you’ve lost the device — from associate iTunes backup.”
Wondershare Dr Fone Full Review
Did dr.fone recover her deleted files? affirmative, however not in a very good method. “I deleted multiple contacts, photos, videos, text messages, and bookmarks, yet because the complete decision history, from associate iPhone four, and dr.fone was able to notice all of the files apart from the deleted text messages.”
And Liane Cassavoy continued,
“Unfortunately, once my files were recovered, I found that not all of them were intact: For my missing contacts, it recovered the names and call photos, however not the phone numbers related to them, that was the foremost necessary half. I’ve had the same expertise once testing knowledge recovery applications for my Windows PC: usually, they’re able to recover bits and items of the deleted knowledge, however not invariably all of it.”
As you'll see, dr.fone was able to obtain a number of her deleted files however not all of them. Another insight from the PCWorld article was that the content of recovered knowledge wasn't intact. It’s price noting, though, that the version PCWorld tested was developed in 2012. It’s doable that Wondershare has improved the capabilities of this recovery mode. If you've got the possibility to check to drive this feature on your iPhone, you’re quite welcome to share your results with U.S. within the comments section below. We’ll even take into account change this post to incorporate your expertise.
Sub-test: ill iPhone knowledge from iTunes computer file
This mode is a lot of like associate iTunes backup extractor. dr.fone analyzes the iTunes backups saved on your laptop or mackintosh and so extracts files from them. Note: you've got to run the program on the pc with that you've synced your iPhone before. Otherwise, it won’t notice any backup to scan.
On my MacBook professional, dr.fone detected four iTunes backup files, one in every of that was from my lost iPhone. One little issue: it showed my last backup date to be in 2017. However, my device was lost a year agone, and there’s no method somebody else was mistreatment my device on my mackintosh. The bug was in all probability related to the iTunes app or dr.fone.I couldn’t extremely tell. however, that’s not the point–our goal is to judge however effective the program is at restoring files from associate iTunes backup. thus I selected my iPhone and clicked “Start Scan”.
In but a moment, dr.fone found a lot of redeemable things, that were listed supported file kind. As you'll see, there have been 2150 photos, 973 app photos, thirty-three app videos, sixty-eight messages, 398 contacts, 888 decision history. whereas photos and videos tend to be most vital to several folks, I’m most curious about the decision histories as a result of iOS solely displays one hundred calls on the app, though Apple might quietly save them to iCloud (source: MacWorld).
As you'll see, dr.fone did notice an inventory of calls with associated data just like the name, date, kind (incoming or outgoing), and period. That’s colossal.
To save those found things, simply choose them and click on the “Export to mackintosh” (for Mac machines) button to continue.
Sub-test: ill iPhone knowledge from an iCloud computer file
The process is sort of like the “Recover from iTunes backup file” mode except you've got to sign up iCloud along with your Apple ID. Note: you’ll get to shut down two-factor authentication to proceed, otherwise dr.fone canappear a warning.
Here’s the most screen of this mode. Once you sign up, the program verifies your account data. Wondershare understands that users might hesitate to provide out their Apple ID data, in order that they disclaim that they ne'erkeep records of any Apple account data or content throughout your recovery which you'll visit their privacy policy page for a lot of data.
The program did notice a number of iCloud backups. to require a glance at them, simply click the “Download” button, select the file varieties you would like, and you’ll be able to access those files.
Wondershare Dr Fone Full Review
Test 2: ill knowledge from associate iPad with dr.fone for iOS
Note: I used associate iPad four (16GB) for this take a look at. To alter your reading expertise, I solely tested the “Recover from iOS device” mode as a result of the opposite 2 modes were explored in take a look at one on top of.
Once I connected my iPad four to my mackintosh, I unfolded dr.fone and clicked the “Data Recovery” module. The program detected my iPad with none problems, as you'll see within the screenshot below.
I clicked the navy blue “Start” button and a scan started. the method took concerning seven minutes to finish. Note: it appears the event team has resolved the standing bar issue. Six months agone, I used to be testing version vi and also the program unbroken obtaining stuck on ninety-nine throughout the scan. In version eight, the one I’m testing currently, that issue didn't recur.
At first look, I used to be happy to ascertain all the photos dr.fone found on my iPad. there have been 831 of them, as you see from the screenshot. Those photos ar my favorite recollections from an exquisite visit to Stanford University at the town. Since the program permits Maine to export those found pictures to mackintosh, I selected a number of pictures and clicked the “Export to Mac” button to avoid wasting them.
I opened the folder containing those recovered photos…looking good! but, I noticed there was a difficulty relating to the file size. As you'll see from the screenshot below (pay attention to the scale volume), the scale of thesesaved pictures was all but 100KB — that positively appearance weird, as a result of the particular size of a photograph taken on my iPad may be a few Megabytes (MBs). Clearly, the standard of recovered photos inconstant because of the originals.
Also, I had another attention-grabbing find: Aren’t those photos still on my iPad? I checked — seems I used to beright. The photos dr.fone found ar all existing photos on my device.
Therefore, so as to check whether or not or not the program extremely works to rescue deleted files on associateiPad, I deleted twenty-three photos and videos of the Photos app on my iPad four and created certain they got erased from “Recently Deleted” underneath Albums. I conjointly removed some unimportant contacts simply to feature a touch of complexness.
Then I deselected the “Existing knowledge on the Device” choice and clicked begin.
Wondershare Dr Fone Full Review
Below may be a shot of scanning in the method. It took the nearly a constant quantity of your time for the method to finish.
And the result? solely a number of hunting expedition bookmarks were found and listed there, and I’ve no planonce I deleted them. What shocked Maine most is that none of my deleted photos, videos, and contacts were found. dr.fone positively failing this take a look at.
Test 3: ill knowledge from Samsung Galaxy S3 with dr.fone for humanoid
For the humanoid version of dr.fone, I’ll attempt to cowl as several options as doable, though for this a part of the review, we’ll focus solely on knowledge recovery. dr.fone is compatible with most Samsung and LG devices, yet as a variety of previous devices from HTC, Motorola, Sony, and Google.
To test the program, I created up some contacts, text messages, calls, pictures, and etc. on a Samsung Galaxy S3 that I then deleted. to provide the program the simplest doable situation, I scanned the smartphone right oncedeleting the information to lower the likelihood of it being overwritten.
Note: Despite this program being marketed for a humanoid, it doesn't work on all humanoid devices. to examinewhether or not your device is compatible with dr.fone, use the trial version 1st. or else, you'll check here to ascertain if your device model is supported.
The startup window of dr.fone shows several options to decide on from. you would like to be connected to the web once employing a feature for the primary time since the program can got to transfer further files.
We’ll take a look at out the information recovery feature of dr.fone, though for it to figure we’ll got to tack the smartphone. USB debugging should be enabled to permit dr.fone to form changes to the device. the methodappearance totally different on every device model, however the directions ought to be terribly similar.
The app has terribly clear directions on a way to modify USB debugging for many humanoid versions. First, visityour settings, then click on “About Phone”. Now, seek for the “Build Number” and faucet it seven times. Developer choices ought to then appear in your settings menu, sometimes simply on top of the “About Phone” text. Click on “Developer options”, then click the top-right switch to modify changes within the settings. Lastly, scroll down, seek for “USB debugging”, and modify it.
To check if you’ve done it properly, connect your smartphone to your pc via USB and see if there’s a notification on your phone screen indicating that USB debugging is functioning.
Once you’ve properly organized USB debugging, connect your smartphone to your pc. It ought to mechanicallyconnect. If not, click next. dr.fone can then install drivers, that ought to take simply a handful of seconds.
Once the installation is finished, you’ll tend choices for what style of knowledge you would like to recover. i made a decision to merely choose everything and see what happens. Once you’re done, merely click “Next”.
Dr.fone can then analyze the device, that takes concerning five minutes. it'll conjointly invite root permission if it’s on the market, which is able to got to be approved on the smartphone itself. Our device was stock-still, and that we did provides it permissions, hoping that it might facilitate recover our deleted knowledge.
Once the analysis is finished, it’ll mechanically begin scanning your device. Our device solely had 16GB of internal storage with no microSD cards obstructed in. dr.fone had no drawback scanning; the method took solely viminutes to finish.
Wondershare Dr Fone Full Review
dr.fone found a few thousand files amounting to four.74 GB. Sadly, it wasn’t able to recover any text messages or decision history. I searched for my take a look at contacts, however, none were found. I turned on the “Only showdeleted items” choice at the highest — still no contacts. Apparently, the contacts that were found were still on the smartphone. I don’t perceive why those ar still enclosed within the scan, and that i can’t see abundant use for that feature.
Going to the gallery, there have been a lot of photos. Some ar photos I took with the camera, however, most of the pictures were comprised of files from numerous applications. I didn’t notice the take a look at pictures i used to betrying to find. Weirdly, all the photos and image files listed were still on the device itself. None of those files were deleted from the smartphone. I conjointly noticed constant issue with the videos that dr.fone found. a bit likehowever it performed with Apple devices, dr.fone still did not recover any of our deleted files.
Other options
Data Recovery is simply one in every of the numerous options dr.fone offers. As you'll see from the most interface of dr.fone for iOS (on macOS), eight different little utilities that ar a part of the program. curiously, the bottom-right corner is blank. My hunch is that the Wondershare team did that by choice just in case any new options areintercalary to the program.
Viber Backup & Restore – This feature permits you to backup your Viber texts, attachments, and decision history and restore them at a later time. you'll either restore your files to a different Apple device or export chat files as hypertext mark-up language to scan on your pc. you'll check here to ascertain if your Apple device is compatible.
System Recovery – A system recovery are often helpful once your Apple device has been soft bricked (learn what soft brick is from Wikipedia). this suggests that the device is unusable however still activates. This includes issueslike a black screen, stuck on the Apple brand on startup, and so on. This feature restores iOS back to traditionalwhile not deleting any of your necessary knowledge. dr.fone says that this feature works for all iOS devices, that is nice.
Full knowledge implement – the total knowledge implement for good deletes all the information you would like off your iOS device. This makes the package novel as if it wasn’t used before. It conjointly makes knowledge recovery tools (such because the knowledge recovery options in dr.fone itself) unable to recover your knowledge. i believeit’s a reasonably helpful feature if ever you would like to sell or divulge your iOS device. This feature is presentlysolely on the market for iOS devices.
Private knowledge implement – This feature is comparable to the total knowledge implement however solelydeletes your selected personal knowledge. It allows you to keep sure apps and supererogatory knowledge intact. this might be helpful for keeping your deleted knowledge irretrievable while not having to wipe your entire device.
Kik Backup & Restore – like the Viber feature, this one is for Kik. You’ll be able to copy your messages and differentknowledge from the app and restore it on constant or a special device. this can be nice for once you’re ever-changing to a different device and need to stay your Kik knowledge.
Data Backup & Restore – This feature allows you to backup all of your knowledge from your iOS device in preciselyone click. the information protected will either be exported to a pc or rehabilitated onto another iOS device. This presently works for all iOS devices, together with the new iPhone X, 8 Plus, and 8.
WhatsApp Transfer, Backup & Restore – The WhatsApp feature allows you to transfer your knowledge from one iOS device to a different iOS or humanoid device. like the opposite options, you'll conjointly copy your knowledge, like messages, and restore it.
LINE Backup & Restore – together with the Viber, Kik, and WhatsApp options, dr.fone conjointly has constantoptions with LINE. you'll save your messages, decision history, and different knowledge from your iOS device to revive on constant iOS device or a special one.
The humanoid version of dr.fone for Windows conjointly has different options besides knowledge recovery. There’s quite an massive distinction between the 2 versions. I’ll guide you thru every feature and its compatibility with totally different humanoid devices.
Wondershare Dr Fone Full Review
Screen Recorder – The screen recorder feature will specifically what it says. It records no matter happens on the screen of your humanoid phone. you simply got to launch screen recorder on your pc then connect your humanoidsmartphone via USB. Done properly, you must be able to see your humanoid screen on your pc and beginrecording. There’s conjointly no got to worry concerning device compatibility since this feature works on ALL humanoid devices. Neat!
Data Backup & Restore – This feature creates a backup of your necessary files and restores them once required. The list of files supported for backup and restore are:
Contacts
Messages
Call History
Gallery exposure
Video
Calendar
Audio
Application
Do note that for application backups, solely the appliance itself are often protected. the appliance knowledge, on the opposite hand, will solely be protected for stock-still devices. not like the screen recorder feature, knowledgebackup & restore is simply on the market sure devices. you'll check this list of supported devices to seek out out if your humanoid device is compatible.
Root – ontogeny your humanoid device opens it up to a full new world of prospects, though that privilege canvalue you the warrantee of your device. Be terribly careful after you root your phone: One mishap and you would possibly find yourself with a weight. With this feature, you'll simply (and safely) root your humanoid device. Firstly, check their list of supported devices for humanoid ontogeny before you begin tinkering.
Data Extraction (Damaged Device) – Don’t get this feature confused with knowledge recovery. knowledgerecovery is for devices that ar still operating. knowledge extraction, on the opposite hand, restores knowledge from broken devices. the information on physically broken devices is maybe forgotten, though devices with packageissues would possibly still work. This feature can hopefully work for devices wherever the system has crashed, the screen is black, or different forms of issues. This feels like a good feature, however it’s solely on the market for a pick variety of Samsung devices.
Lock Screen Removal – this can be pretty obvious. It removes the lock screen on the humanoid device which is able to grant you access to the smartphone. together with most options, this can be restricted to pick LG and Samsung devices solely. we tend to discourage mistreatment this feature while not the consent of the owner of the device.
Data implement – If you propose on gifting away or mercantilism your smartphone, knowledge implement canprove terribly helpful. currently that we all know that knowledge recovery programs ar on the market for smartphones, securing our personal knowledge is crucial. knowledge implement deletes all types of privateknowledge, effort no trace in the slightest degree. not like a straightforward plant reset, knowledge implementensures that recovery programs (such as their own dr.fone knowledge Recovery) won’t be able to restore any personal knowledge. as luck would have it, this feature is presently on the market for all humanoid devices.
SIM Unlock – This feature permits carrier-locked smartphones to use SIMs from different service suppliers. It offersyou the liberty to change around and alter service suppliers to urge the simplest out of every of them. It’s a straightforward method within which you simply connect your device to your pc via USB, run SIM unlock and run a scan, and if productive, you’ll have associate unsecured smartphone. Sadly, this can be one in every of their most restricted options, and solely supports variety of Samsung devices.
Reasons Behind Our Reviews & Ratings
Effectiveness: 3/5
dr.fone failing our knowledge recovery tests, no doubt. Now, why will it still get a three out of five stars? as a result of dr.fone isn’t simply an information recovery program. it's over ten different options we tend to weren’t able toabsolutely take a look at. This won't be the program you would like for knowledge recovery, tho' it's going to prove itself helpful if you would like simple backup and restoration.
Price: 4/5
Wondershare offers numerous packages to decide on from for each Windows and mackintosh. The period license for iOS is priced at $70 and $80 for Windows and mackintosh severally. The period humanoid license comes at a way cheaper value of $50 for Windows and $60 for mackintosh. you'll conjointly slash off $10 from those costs if you choose for a 1-year license instead.
Ease of Use: 4/5
The program was very simple to navigate. Even somebody that isn’t tech-savvy will simply navigate the program. There ar directions that mechanically show if a drag arises, and people steps ar simply apprehensible.
Support: 4/5
I emailed their support team relating to my results from the information recovery take a look at and got a response following day. I do appreciate the fast reply, though the content of the e-mail merely says that my files arecorrupted and can't be recovered any longer. They advised to easily scan it a number of a lot of times, which couldshow totally different results.
Alternatives to dr.fone (Free & Paid)
iTunes or iCloud Backup — Free. each iTunes and iCloud ar nice knowledge backup and recovery solutions provided by Apple. The iTunes app should be used on a laptop or mackintosh, whereas iCloud is a web backup service and has been designed into iOS which implies you'll backup your iPhone or iCloud while not connecting to a pc. Note: not like dr.fone, iTunes or iCloud is simply useful after you have a timely backup.
PhoneRescue — Paid, value starts from $49.99 per single license. like dr.fone, PhoneRescue conjointly supports each iOS and humanoid and is compatible with Windows and macOS. however the program doesn’t provideseveral different options as dr.fone does. If you specifically need to retrieve lost files from associate iPhone, iPad or humanoid, PhoneRescue may be a nice choice. you'll scan our findings during this PhoneRescue review.
Stellar iPhone knowledge Recovery — Paid, $49.95. What it offers is comparable to knowledge Recovery module in dr.fone. Stellar claims the program is in a position to directly scan your iPhone (and iPad too) to recover deleted Contacts, Messages, Notes, decision history, Voice Memo, Reminders, etc.. A free trial is accessible with limitations. Note: the program doesn’t support humanoid devices.
Conclusion
Dr.fone, sadly, didn’t reach our expectations for knowledge recovery. it had been weird that it gave U.S. some files that weren’t even deleted within the 1st place — once more, your mileage with the package might vary. though the scans were quite quick, and there’s a behemoth of different helpful options, thus it'd still be price your pretty penny.
Besides knowledge recovery, dr.fone conjointly offers over 10 different options like backups for numerousapplications and knowledge, system restoration, rooting, and far a lot of. we tend to weren’t able to take a look atall its options, however if you would like quite simply knowledge recovery for your humanoid and iOS devices, dr.fone would be a decent program to examine out. we tend to advocate it.