Tenorshare UltData 9.5.0 — Mac version

A missed call you needed, photos that vanished after an update, or Safari history you forgot to bookmark — losing stuff off an iPhone feels rotten. Tenorshare UltData for Mac reaches into the device and pulls things back out, often without a backup to lean on.

It works on practically any Mac that's still breathing. As long as you're on OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or later and running a 64-bit Intel machine, you're in. No need for the latest macOS, which is a relief if you keep an older iMac or MacBook around for these sorts of tasks.

Phone-wise, it talks to a long list. The iPhone 11 family is fully covered, right back through the XS, XR, X, 8, 7, and well into iPod touch territory. It can dig out FaceTime calls, voicemail, and app-specific bits like WhatsApp photos or documents you thought were gone for good. Three recovery modes give you a few different ways in — direct from the device, from an iTunes backup, or from iCloud.

The interface speaks your language, too, with Russian, Arabic, German, Japanese and several more to choose from. It's a straightforward tool: point it at the problem, pick a recovery path, and see what it finds.

Untick unneeded file types for faster scans

Before you scan anything, open Preferences. The default view shows every file type ticked — that makes scans slower than they need to be. Untick the categories you don't care about. If you're only chasing photos and messages, leave the rest blank. The scan finishes quicker and the results list stays readable.

Switch the language early if the installer didn't pick yours. The menu lives under UltData > Language in the top bar. The app won't restart itself, so quit and reopen it after choosing. Also check the output folder — by default recovered files land in a temporary spot you might forget about. Point it somewhere sensible, like a folder on the desktop named after the date.

Recovering a FaceTime call that vanished from the log

Your nephew FaceTimed you last week, but the call log vanished after iOS decided to tidy itself up. You plug the iPhone into the Mac with a Lightning cable. UltData opens and you pick Recover from iOS Device. The app asks you to trust the computer — you tap Trust on the phone screen and enter your passcode.

You untick everything except Call History and FaceTime. The scan takes about four minutes on an iPhone 8. When it finishes, the left column fills with categories and the right pane shows a long list of numbers, dates, and durations. Lost entries show up in orange. You spot the call, tick its checkbox, and hit Recover. A few seconds later an HTML file lands in your output folder, openable in any browser. The session is done — the phone stays put for a moment while you check the file looks right, then you unplug and carry on.

If the phone doesn't show up straight away, close UltData, unplug the cable, plug it back in, then relaunch. That nudges the connection more often than you'd think.

Lighter single-purpose recovery versus iMazing’s companion approach

iMazing does a lot more than recovery — it manages backups, transfers music, and even keeps an archive of your messages over time. But for a single-minded data grab, UltData feels lighter. iMazing wants to be your phone's permanent companion; UltData is the neighbour you call when something's broken.

PhoneRescue (by iMobie) follows a similar three-mode approach and handles app data like Kik and Viber. Its interface is a bit glossier, though on an older Mac that extra polish can feel sluggish. UltData keeps things plainer and runs quicker on the same hardware, especially during the scanning phase.

Dr.Fone (Wondershare) covers iOS and Android under one roof, which is handy in a mixed-device household. But that breadth means the Mac app carries weight it doesn't always need. If you only deal with iPhones and iPads, tenorshare ultdata for mac stays focused: no Android menus to skip past, no extra modules loading in the background.

Where UltData quietly shines is the device support list. It reaches back to the iPod touch 1st generation and the iPhone 4. PhoneRescue and Dr.Fone dropped several of those older models a while ago. If you keep a drawer of ageing iPods or hand-me-down iPhones for the kids, that backwards reach matters.

• OS X 10.8 or later
• 64-bit Intel processor