While regularly deleting unnecessary messages seems to be a good habit for optimizing your iPhone storage, this can sometimes turn against you if you accidentally delete an important message. And if that’s the case with you, we have compiled a list of ways to retrieve deleted text messages on iPhone. Each method has its own shortcoming, but these will get the work done for you in most cases. Keep reading to learn how to recover deleted messages on your iPhone.
How to Retrieve Messages on iPhone from Recently Deleted Messages
One of the new iOS 16 features introduced by Apple for its messaging app last year was called Recently Deleted. This new feature allows you to recover all deleted messages. The only shortcoming of this feature is that you can restore a message only within 30 days of deleting it. Read on to know how it works:
1. Open the iMessage app on your iPhone.
2. Tap “Filters” at the top left corner of the screen.
3. Tap the “Recently Deleted” option at the bottom of the screen.
4. Here, you can view the complete list of messages you have deleted in the last 30 days.
5. Now, select the messages you want to restore and tap “Recover” at the bottom of the screen. The messages will get transferred to your inbox.
How to Recover Deleted Messages Using iCloud Backup on iPhone
So you accidentally deleted an important message, and it’s been over 30 days. Worry not, as there is still a way to recover deleted messages on your iPhone if you have an iCloud backup saved before you deleted the message. Let’s walk through the steps to discover the last backup on your iPhone:
Note: Your entire data, including photos, call logs, apps, and files, created after the date of the last backup will be deleted if you choose to follow this step.
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on your “Apple ID” at the top of the screen.
3. Next, tap the “iCloud” option.
4. On the next page, select the “iCloud Backup” option.
5. Here, you can view the last back up date.
Now, if the last backup date is before you deleted the message, you can restore the backup to retrieve the deleted messages on your iPhone. The next few steps expose the drawback of this method, as you need to reset your iPhone and set it up again to restore the backup. Here is how y
1. Open the Settings app again and visit the “General” section.
2. Here, scroll down and tap the “Transfer or Reset iPhone” option.
3. Then, tap the “Erase All Content and Settings” option.
4. Now, tap the “Continue” button to completely wipe your iPhone
5. Next, enter your iPhone’s passcode and Apple ID password if asked.
6. Now, while setting up your iPhone, tap the “Restore From iCloud Backup” option.
7. Enter your Apple ID and password, and follow the on-screen instructions.
8. Here, choose the backup file, and tap “Continue” to recover your deleted messages.
9. Follow all the on-screen instructions, and your iPhone will then start restoring files, media, and messages from the backup.
How to Recover Deleted Messages Using Finder Backup on Mac
If you have taken a backup on a Mac device due to lack of iCloud storage, you can still recover the deleted message by restoring the iPhone backup from your Mac. However, similar to the iCloud method, this also needs you to back up before the date of deleting the message and resetting & restoring your iPhone. Here’s how you can restore your iPhone delete messages using Finder on Mac:
1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac via a USB cable.
2. Open the Finder app on your Mac.
3. Now, select your iPhone from the left sidebar.
4. Here, visit the “Backups” section under “General” and click the “Restore Backup” button.
5. Now, select your iPhone and click the “Restore” button. And it’s done, your iPhone will start restoring automatically.
How to Retrieve Deleted Messages on iPhone Using iTunes Backup on Windows
This method works similarly to the Finder one, but you need to use iTunes instead as there’s no Finder app on Windows. Below, we have detailed how to restore your iPhone using iTunes on a Windows PC –
1. Download (Get, Free) and open the iTunes app.
2. Connect your iPhone to the Windows PC using a USB cable.
3. Click on the “iPhone” icon in the top-left corner of the app.
4. Here, locate and click the “Restore Backup” button.
5. Now, select your iPhone and click “Restore.”
Your, iPhone will now start restoring. Once restored, you will see the message that you accidentally deleted in the iMessage app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use the ‘Recently Deleted’ filter to retrieve deleted messages on iPhone without backup, but remember this method works for only 30 days of deleting a message.
You can use the Recently Deleted filter method or Finder on Mac or iTunes on Windows method to retrieve deleted text messages without iCloud.
