Yes, I’m a grade A idiot.
So I lost my phone a year and a half ago while I was moving. I assumed it got thrown out in the trash by accident and gave up.
I was clearing out my freezer a few minutes ago and, no shit, there it was in the very back. I pulled it out. It’s thawing right now.
It was not frozen in ice or any moisture that I could tell. It is still in the case which is not waterproof.
Is there any chance whatsoever that I could salvage the data on there? How can I maximize that chance? TIA
I don’t have the time to read through the other comments, but I’ll leave my tidbit of knowledge in case someone missed something:
Do not even BEGIN to attempt to power it/charge it until it’s been at room temperature for a good long while.
Charging lipos while cold is dangerous to a surprising extent. (Never charge a phone that’s frozen, like from being out during winter. Wait for it to heat up first.)
Charging lipos that were overdischarged is also, not exactly safe.
When you eventually (after a loooong dryout) get to trying to power it up, do it with the slowest charging (lowest power) adapter possible. The slower you charge it the less explodey it will be.
It’s fine unless the freezer is ridiculously cold - storage range for an iPhone is -4° to 113° https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201678
the phone should be fine, but most flash storage doesn’t enjoy cold temperatures.