Hello @pearlsyle
I was pretty sure from the start, but I double-checked to make sure that this is the answer.
Unfortunately, unless you have a backup of your iPhone using iTunes or iCloud then I’m very sorry but there is really no way to recover that data on your own. The iOS security features are very secure and thus you would need to wipe the iPhone and set it into recovery mode in order to restore functionality to the phone. This also means wiping the data. This is why Apple stresses regularly backing up your iPhone in the case of incidents like these.
If you want to proceed with only restoring the iPhone’s functionality: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204306
There may be signs of hope if you want to do this yourself, but you MUST meet these very specific requirements.
- The iPhone must be below an iPhone 4S: Not Possible.
- The iPhone must be iOS 10 or below
- You must know the phone’s password
The only solution I can think of if you want to recover the data is to purchase a program or service that recovers data from a disabled iPhone. BE CAREFUL some of these programs and services have shady privacy policies, and some websites may say that they offer free services, but they are viruses in disguise. I personally have never used these services, and on top of that, they are very expensive.
Here’s my suggestion:
Double-check by logging into iCloud.com and see what data has been backed up onto the cloud. Chances are that you could possibly be able to see some photos or videos that were uploaded onto the cloud before doing anything.