How can I unlock an iPhone with an unresponsive broken screen and save my photos?
Dead touch does not mean the photos are gone. The screen and digitizer are separate from the logic board and the storage holding the data. An iPhone can still boot with its data intact.
Face ID or Touch ID often keeps working when damage is limited to the glass or touch layer. The biometric sensor is separate from the visible display on many models, although the same impact can damage both. iOS still requires the passcode after a restart.
If the phone powers on and shows an image, a wired keyboard connected through a USB-C or Lightning-to-USB adapter can sometimes let you enter your own passcode. Tab, Shift-Tab and Space or Enter can move focus and select controls if Full Keyboard Access was already enabled. A mouse helps only when pointer control was already available.
This does not work with a completely black display or a phone that will not start. The iPhone may also reject a newly connected USB accessory before it has been unlocked. Results vary with the model, damage and earlier settings.
Once access is restored, back up at once. Use Finder on a Mac, the Apple device-management app or iTunes on a compatible computer, or run an iCloud backup. Let it finish and verify the copy before repair.
Displaying the damaged iPhone on a PC does not give free control of a locked or unresponsive device. AirPlay and iPhone Mirroring on a Mac depend on compatible devices, the same account, security checks and sometimes earlier setup. They are not general data-recovery methods.
Android works differently. Some models offer video output, mouse control or previously authorised debugging options, but availability depends on the phone and what was enabled before the accident.
A technician can open the device without damaging the logic board, test a compatible display assembly or replace the failed assembly while preserving storage. The owner then enters the known passcode and makes the backup. No lock is bypassed.