Full Access to Jessa Jones
Episode 21
What do you do when a phone is damaged and you can’t access important information that will aid in solving a case? More often than not, you’ll be told that the data isn’t recoverable. But Jessa Jones believes that 99% of the time, that isn’t the case.
In this episode, Jessa shares why phone manufacturers shy away from data recovery and how her business—iPad Rehab—steps in to fill the gap. Jessa has recovered data from phones chewed up by lawnmowers, blown up in airplane crashes, and water-logged while deep-sea fishing.
Jessa also offers law enforcement the necessary training to troubleshoot and repair mobile devices to extract the data they need.
[2:09] Profile of this episode’s Guest: Jessa Jones, the owner of iPad Rehab
- iPad Rehab is a company that specializes in micro-soldering for board-level repair of mobile devices.
- Jessa’s team has recovered data for thousands of people with water-damaged iPhones and android devices.
- Jessa has a degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Maryland.
[3:38] Jessa explains why Cellular and Molecular Biology research is important
- Why Jessa finds genetic engineering—fixing things at the molecular level by moving genes around—fascinating.
- Jessa shares how she landed a job at a lab conducting research on fruit flies.
- Jessa sought to learn how to correct human disease via Cellular and Molecular Biology research, so she got a Ph.D. in human genetics from Johns Hopkins and researched the molecular mechanisms of pancreatic cancer.
[11:05] Why Jessa switched from molecular biology research and began micro-soldering
- Jessa worked at the Rochester Institute of Technology where she was an assistant professor in a biology lab.
- Why Jessa transitioned to being a stay-at-home mom and how it led to her current career path.
- How Jessa’s toddlers, a toilet, and a cell phone changed the trajectory of her life.
[21:28] Jessa shares more about how iPad Rehab began, how she built her team, and how it currently operates
- Why Jessa Googled and returned an iPad she had fixed to its original owner and how it led to the current iteration of iPad Rehab.
- Jessa’s experience working with law enforcement to determine who stole an iPad and how it led to a prison sentence for the thief.
- How Jessa’s business morphed to include micro-soldering training.
[31:07] How Jessa handles chain-of-custody issues for law enforcement repairs
- How the chain of custody works depends on the agency and device.
- Fixing and extracting data while protecting the information they’re extracting.
[33:58] How iPad Rehab caters to the independent repair community
- Independent repair is any type of repair that’s not branded repair i.e. “authorized” repair.
- Jessa shares why branded repair places are inexperienced and unqualified to fix phones and recover data.
- How iPad Rehab’s personalized repair differs from the retailers.
[41:50] Jessa talks about the videos she’s shared on her YouTube channel
- How Jessa’s recovered data from phones accidentally taken deep-sea diving to those recovered from plane crashes.
- As Jessa shares memorable data recovery experiences, both awe-inspiring and heart-wrenching, you can hear why her work is fulfilling.
- Jessa recounts how she created satirical videos that have gone viral.
[57:31] Damaged phones can be divided into two categories
- The “recoverable” kind are those where the problem is immediately obvious.
- The “irreparable” kind are those where you see a failure of the encrypted data (sadly common with iPhones).
- Jessa shares what’s typically going on when they can’t recover data from a device.
[1:02:53] Learn more about the types of training that Jessa offers at iPad Rehab.
- Jessa’s training shares practical ways to troubleshoot and fix devices.
- How Jessa trains anyone, from high school students to law enforcement agencies.
- Check out Jessa’s Practical Board Repair and Micro-Soldering training courses.
[1:10:16] Learn more about why Jessa is passionate about “Right to Repair” legislation.
- Manufacturers tie the function of devices to specific serial numbers of parts, which encroaches on your ability to fix something that you own.
- Why Jessa believes that consumer electronics should be able to take a “junkyard repair” approach.
- Get more information about the Right to Repair legislation.
[1:18:38] Technology challenges that Jessa faces with repairs and how it will impact law enforcement.
- It’s getting harder and harder to jump hurdles with today’s phone sensors.
- Why overheating is a problematic issue with mobile devices (and how thermal sensors work).
- Today’s phones are constantly being changed, which impacts the ability to troubleshoot and repair them.
[1:24:51] Where to learn more about iPad Rehab and gain access to Jessa’s mind.
- iPad Rehab
- Jessa’s Practical Board Repair and Micro-Soldering training courses
- iPad Rehab’s supply store
- Connect with Jessa on LinkedIn
- Check out iPad Rehab on YouTube
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