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Phone died while recording? What happens to the video
When a phone or camera loses power in the middle of a recording, the video is in one of three states: saved normally, saved as a file that won’t play, or never saved at all. Which one you have decides what you can do. Here is how to find out, and how to give the footage its best chance.
What happens when the power goes off mid-recording
A video file is written in two parts. While you record, the device streams the compressed video and audio into the file. When you press stop, it writes the index: the table of every frame, the duration and the orientation. In MP4 and MOV files this index is called the moov atom.
- The device stopped in time: many cameras and phones notice a low battery or overheating, stop the recording and write the index before they switch off. The video is saved, just shorter than you expected.
- Power is cut suddenly (crash, battery fault, cold, battery or card pulled out): the frames are on storage but the index was never written. The file exists but won’t play, or shows 0:00. This is repairable in most cases.
- Nothing was written: if the device lost power before saving anything, or discarded the unfinished file, there is no file to repair.
Where to look for the unfinished video
iPhone
Open Photos and check Recents and the Hidden album. An interrupted clip may appear with a 0:00 duration or as a thumbnail that won’t play. If you recorded with a third-party camera app, check that app’s own library and its folder in the Files app or in Finder. Be prepared for the worst case: with the built-in Camera app the clip is often simply missing after a sudden shutdown, and then the iPhone did not keep it. See the iPhone video repair guide for how to export the original file.
Samsung, Pixel and other Android phones
Check the gallery app first, then look in the DCIM/Camera folder with a file manager or from a computer. On many recent Android versions an unfinished recording is kept as a hidden file whose name starts with .pending-; turn on show hidden files to see it. The system can delete such files automatically, sometimes within a day, so copy it to a computer as soon as possible.
GoPro, DJI and other cameras
The unfinished file normally stays on the memory card. Some cameras try to repair the last clip when you switch them on again with the same card (GoPro shows a repair or SOS icon on many models): let the camera do this first. If the clip still won’t play, copy it from the card to a computer.
Dashcams
Dashcams record in a loop and overwrite the oldest clips. Remove the card or stop recording right away, then copy the clips you need. Locked or event clips are usually in a separate folder.
Do this now, in this order
- Stop recording onto the same phone storage or card until you have copied the damaged clip.
- Copy the unfinished file as it is to a computer. Don’t open it in an editor, convert it or send it through a messaging app.
- Record a short healthy clip with the same device and the same settings (resolution, frame rate, format, lens or mode). It helps the repair match how that device writes files.
- Repair the copy, not the original, and check the result from beginning to end.
How the repair works
Because the frames are already in the file, the job is to rebuild the missing index around them. FrameRescue scans the damaged file, identifies the video and audio streams, and reconstructs the index, using a healthy clip from the same device when one is available. The rebuilt video is decoded and checked before it is offered. You pay €5.00 only when a repaired file is ready.
The technical background is in how to fix “moov atom not found”. If the problem was a copy that stopped halfway rather than the recording, see repairing a truncated MP4.
Questions about recordings cut off by a dead battery
Does an iPhone save the video if it dies while recording?
Not reliably. With the built-in Camera app many people find the clip missing from Photos after the iPhone switches back on, and then there is nothing to repair. Sometimes it appears but won’t play or shows 0:00; that file can usually be repaired. Third-party camera apps that save to their own folder often leave a repairable file.
If my phone dies while recording, does it save on Android?
It depends on the phone and on how the power was lost. Many Android phones save the clip when the battery runs out normally. After a sudden shutdown an unfinished file is often left in the camera folder, sometimes hidden, and it can usually be repaired.
Will restarting the phone save the video?
Restarting does not finish an interrupted recording. If the system already moved the clip into the gallery, it will be there after the restart; if not, look for the unfinished file as described on this page.
Can I repair the video directly on the phone?
You can upload from the phone’s browser. For large files, copying the video to a computer and uploading from there is usually more reliable.
How much of the video can be saved?
Usually everything that was written to storage before the power went off. The last second or two before the shutdown may be lost, because the device had not finished writing them.
Related repair guides
- Repair a corrupted iPhone video
Photos and iCloud errors versus real file damage, how to export the original MOV, and when repair helps.
- Fix “moov atom not found”
What the missing movie index means and why copy or faststart commands don’t rebuild it.
- Repair a truncated MP4
Recording interrupted or copy cut off? How to tell, and when a reference-based repair is needed.
- Video recovery or video repair?
Deleted files need recovery; files that exist but won’t play need repair. How to tell which one you need.
Found the unfinished file?
Upload the original damaged file. A healthy clip from the same device is optional. FrameRescue checks the result before offering it, and you pay €5.00 only if a repaired file is ready.