How to Retrieve Deleted Text Messages on iPhone & iPad

How to See Recently Deleted Messages on iPhone

Whether you've accidentally deleted messages on iPhone or changed your mind about messages you deleted, here's how to retrieve deleted text messages on your iPhone or iPad for up to 40 days after deleting:

1. Open the Messages app and tap the filter icon in the top right corner.
2. From the menu that appears, tap Recently Deleted. If you don't see this option, then you don't have any retrievable recently deleted texts.
3. You'll see a list of conversations deleted within the last 40 days. Tap the circle to the left of at least one conversation you want to recover, then tap Recover.
4. Tap Recover (number) Message(s) to confirm.
5. Tap the Menu icon at the top-right of the screen, then tap Messages to return to your main Messages screen.

Once you hit the Recover button, you should see the deleted messages on the main screen of the Messages app.

This is the only way to retrieve deleted text messages on your iPhone without a backup. If you have backups, you have other options for how to recover deleted iMessages.

How to Recover Deleted Messages on iPhone: Other Options

How to Retrieve Deleted Messages on iPhone via iCloud

Another way to recover deleted messages on iPhone is via iCloud backups. If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you should be able to restore texts from iCloud. If you're not already, you should definitely be doing regular iCloud backups to ensure you're saving your important data.

To get back deleted text messages from an iCloud backup, you'll need to factory reset your iPhone, then restore it from an iCloud backup made before your messages disappeared. When you restart your iPhone after wiping it, you'll see a screen labeled Transfer Your Apps & Data. Tap From iCloud Backup, enter your Apple ID email and password, choose a backup made before you deleted your messages, and tap Restore. Be sure to keep your iPhone connected to Wi-Fi, and wait for the progress bar to complete.

Restore from Your Computer to Retrieve Deleted Text Messages on iPhone

If the previous text recovery method didn’t work, there's another way to retrieve deleted text messages on your iPhone using your computer. As long as you have been doing regular backups to your computer, you should be able to access any saved messages via iTunes.

How to Recover Deleted Texts via Carrier or Third-Party Apps

In some instances, you can recover deleted text messages by contacting your cellular service provider. They will occasionally have access to a backup if it has not yet been overwritten or updated. However, this will only work for RCS/SMS messages that have been sent or received through your carrier. Your carrier cannot recover iMessages, as these are end-to-end encrypted and are sent through Apple's own servers, not the carrier.

• Contact Verizon
• Contact AT&T
• Contact T-Mobile

There are some third-party apps out there that claim to help you find deleted texts on your iPhone, but they can be sketchy. Make sure you read the reviews carefully to help you evaluate the legitimacy of any app you are thinking of using. Again, there are no guarantees that your privacy will be protected, so even trusted sources online should be carefully considered before you jump right in out of desperation. If your iPhone is running the latest software, we strongly recommend you use the official method demonstrated above to retrieve deleted text messages on your iPhone, rather than turning to third-party apps.

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