My Android phone's screen is smashed: how do I get my data onto my Mac?

Start with the cloud, not the cable. If the phone was backed up to your Google Account, most of what you want is already there: photos in Google Photos, contacts in Google Contacts, and texts in the phone backup. A cable only helps if you can still unlock the phone, because Google's own steps for copying files start with "Unlock your device." A Mac cannot get around a locked or unreadable screen, and nothing we found in the makers' pages says it can. This guide separates what is realistic from what is not.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 26 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

What should I check first on the Mac?

Open a browser on the Mac and sign in with the Google Account that was on the phone. Three places to look.

1. Photos. Google's Photos backup page says you can go to photos.google.com, and that if recent photos and videos are displayed there, they have been backed up to that account. Look at the most recent dates first. That tells you how much the last backup missed.
2. Contacts. Google's Contacts page says contacts saved to your Google Account sync with Google Contacts. On a computer, go to contacts.google.com.
3. Messages. If you had paired Google Messages for web before the damage, a browser tab on the Mac may still show your conversations. Google's page says you will be unpaired automatically after a few weeks of not using it, and pairing a new browser starts on the phone, so you cannot set it up from scratch with a dead screen.

Keep the phone and do not reset it until you have what you need.

Is the phone backed up?

Google's backup page says the phone's data is automatically backed up to your Google Account, including apps and app data, call history, contacts, device settings, and SMS and MMS messages. Google apps can add more, such as RCS messages from Google Messages and photos and videos from Google Photos. You get 15 GB of storage for free. It does not say the backup is on for every phone, so you cannot assume yours was.

The practical payoff is on the next phone. Google says that during setup of a new device you follow the on-screen steps to restore, that photos and videos are already in Google Photos, and that the rest can take up to 24 hours. It also says you cannot restore a backup from a higher Android version onto a phone with a lower one, so buy a replacement running the same Android version or a later one.

Can I use a USB cable if the screen is broken?

Only if the phone still unlocks. Google's USB transfer page lists three steps: unlock the device, tap the "Charging this device via USB" notification, then under "Use USB for" select File Transfer. All three need a working display or a way to see and touch it. The page gives steps for Windows and Chromebook, not Mac, so on a Mac you also need an app such as OpenMTP.

Three cases:

What about USB debugging and scrcpy?

People suggest turning on USB debugging to control the phone from the Mac. The problem is the order. Android Developers' page says developer options must be enabled by tapping the Build number seven times, and that you then enable USB debugging under Developer options. Both steps are taps on the phone's own screen, so you cannot do them with a screen that is dead. If it was already switched on before the damage, scrcpy might help: its README says you must make sure USB debugging is enabled on your device, and that the device needs Android 5.0 or later. We have not tested this with a damaged phone, and an unlock prompt on a locked phone would still block you. Setup is in scrcpy install on a Mac.

What if nothing works?

Then the data is recoverable only through the cloud or a repair. Phone repair shops sometimes replace displays, which would let you unlock the phone and use the cable. We have no source for how often that succeeds, or what it costs, so we leave both out. For the future, back up the phone to a Mac now, before the next accident.

Where does The Relay fit?

It does not help here. The Relay pairs a phone and a Mac over your own network and needs the phone working. You pair them by scanning a QR code on the Mac with the phone, which needs the screen, and The Relay has no photo-library sync or backup. For a broken phone, Google's backup, Photos, and Contacts, plus a repair, are the real routes. Once you have a new phone, if you want the clipboard, notifications, and files between it and your Mac, the 7-day free trial at /download is there. It is one subscription through Google Play that covers your phone and your Mac.

Questions people ask

Can I get texts off a broken Android phone?

If the phone backed up SMS and MMS messages to your Google Account, they come back when you restore onto a new phone. Google Messages for web helps only if it was already paired.

Can I see my broken phone's screen on my Mac?

Only with a tool that was already set up. scrcpy mirrors the screen, but its README says USB debugging must be enabled, and that cannot be done on a dead screen. We have not tested it with a damaged phone.

Why does my Mac not show a phone with a broken screen?

Two common reasons are a locked phone and a USB mode other than File Transfer. A Mac needs an app such as OpenMTP in any case. See Android phone not showing up on Mac.

Are my photos safe if the phone is broken?

If Google Photos backup was on, they are in your Google Account. Check photos.google.com. Backups stop if the account is out of storage, which Google's page says is shared with Gmail and Drive.