ARTICLE AD BOX
Objective: Recover several years of drawing projects (native .pntr files) after accidentally pressing "Clear Data" instead of "Clear Cache" in the Infinity Painter app on a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE (Android 11+).
The Goal: I need to find if Infinity Painter leaves 'orphan' files in the filesystem or if there's a way to use Samsung-specific tools (like a specialized Smart Switch extraction) to pull the SQLite databases or .pntr projects before they are overwritten."
Environment:
Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE.
OS: Android 11/12 (Locked Bootloader, No Root).
App: Infinity Painter (Files typically stored in /Android/data/com.brakefield.painter/).
What has been attempted so far:
ADB Logical Backup:
Command: {adb backup -f rescue.ab -noapk com.brakefield.painter.}
Result: The resulting .ab file was only 1KB (1024 bytes).
Issue: When extracting with Android Backup Extractor (ABE) and trying to open the .tar with WinRAR, it shows "Archive is corrupt or unknown format". It seems the app has allowBackup="false" in its manifest.
Filesystem Inspection:
Tried accessing /Android/data/ via PC (MTP) and ZArchiver.
Result: Folders appear empty due to Android 11+ Scoped Storage restrictions.
Samsung Smart Switch:
Performed a full backup of the app and documents via Smart Switch.
Result: Currently exploring the backup folders, but projects are not immediately visible in the standard "App" backup directory.
Forensic Software (PhotoRec):
Attempted to use PhotoRec 7.3-WIP.
Issue: The device is not mounted as a block device (No drive letter), so PhotoRec can only see the PC's internal SSD. Without root, I cannot perform a dd dump of the userdata partition.
Current Situation:
The tablet is currently in Airplane Mode to prevent data overwriting. I have not performed a Factory Reset. I have a PC with Java, ADB Platform Tools, and PhotoRec ready.
Questions:
Is there any way to perform a physical dump or a bit-by-bit image of a non-rooted Samsung S7 FE to use "carving" techniques?
Does Infinity Painter store temporary data or database fragments in a location not affected by "Clear Data"?
Are there any Samsung-specific forensic tools (like specialized Odin modes or Smart Switch extractors) that can bypass the 1KB backup limitation?
