A Canadian couple, Josephine and Dave Billard, lost their iPhone with 8,000 precious photos from their European trip in a canoe accident. Despite Apple telling them the data was unrecoverable, they found Jessa Jones, a molecular biologist turned iPhone repair expert in New York, who successfully recovered all their photos. Jones claims that 95% of water-damaged iPhones can be repaired, contradicting Apple's stance. Apple's online forum and support team discourage users from seeking outside help, and Jones' advice on the forum is often removed. The story highlights Apple's reluctance to acknowledge the possibility of data recovery from damaged devices and their strict control over user options.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Josephine and Dave Billard, a couple from Newfoundland, took a five-month trip from Greece to Norway.
2. During their trip, they took thousands of photos with their iPhone.
3. When they returned to Newfoundland, they went for a canoe ride and accidentally dropped their iPhone into a pond.
4. The iPhone sank to the bottom of the pond, which was about 4-5 feet deep.
5. Josephine contacted Apple for help recovering her photos, but they said it was not possible.
6. Josephine visited other repair shops in St. John's, but none of them could help her recover her photos.
7. She was referred to a small company near Rochester, New York, that specializes in iPhone repair.
8. The company, iPad Rehab, was run by Jessa Jones, a molecular biologist with a PhD from Johns Hopkins.
9. Jessa Jones has experience repairing iPhones and has developed a business out of it.
10. Jessa Jones was able to recover the photos from the Billards' iPhone.
11. Apple's official response to water-damaged iPhones is that the data is unrecoverable.
12. Jessa Jones claims that 95% of water-damaged iPhones can be repaired and the data recovered.
13. Apple's online community forum removes posts that suggest alternative repair options.
14. Jessa Jones' account has been banned from the forum for suggesting alternative repair options.
15. Apple did not respond to requests for comment on their policy towards data recovery from water-damaged iPhones.