How to Find and Recover Deleted Text Messages on iPhone & Android?

To recover deleted text messages on iPhone, check the "Recently Deleted" folder in the Messages app, or restore from an iCloud or iTunes/Finder backup. If you use iCloud Messages, you can also restore deleted texts by syncing them from another device where they’re still available.

If you’re using iOS 16 or later, you can recover deleted text messages directly from the Messages app. The “Recently Deleted” feature allows you to restore deleted messages within 30 days of deletion.

Steps to recover deleted messages on iPhone:

1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Edit or Filter in the top-left corner.
3. Tap Show Recently Deleted.
4. Select the conversations you want to recover.
5. Tap Recover to restore the deleted messages.

If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you can regain deleted messages by restoring your iPhone to a previous iCloud backup.

Steps to retrieve deleted messages from iCloud backup:

1. Open the Settings app and tap your name at the top.
2. Select iCloud and turn on Messages in the app list.
3. Tap iCloud Backup and check whether it has backed up.
4. Go to General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings to restore.
5. After resetting, select Restore from iCloud Backup, and your messages will be recovered

If you’ve been using iCloud Messages, your messages may be synced across all devices logged in with the same Apple ID. If a message was deleted on your iPhone, it might still be available on another device.

Steps to restore messages from iCloud Messages:

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud.
2. Toggle Messages off and on again.
3. When prompted, select Download Messages from iCloud to restore deleted messages.

If you have an iTunes or Finder backup (on macOS Catalina and later), you can retrieve deleted messages by using a backup made before the messages were deleted. Keep in mind that this will overwrite all current data on your iPhone, so ensure you’ve backed up any important data.

Steps to restore from iTunes/Finder:

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable.
2. Open iTunes (or Finder if you're using macOS Catalina or later).
3. In iTunes or Finder, select your iPhone when it appears in the window.
4. Click on Restore Backup.
5. Choose the backup made before the messages were deleted and click Restore.
6. Wait for the restore process to finish. Once it’s done, check your Messages app for the restored messages.

To recover erased text messages on Android, check the Recycle Bin or Trash in your messaging app if your device supports it. Alternatively, you can restore messages from a Google Drive backup during device setup or by using the Backup and Restore settings without resetting your phone.

On some Android devices, such as Samsung Galaxy phones, deleted messages aren’t immediately erased. Instead, they’re temporarily moved to a built-in “Recycle Bin” or “Trash” within the default messaging app. This allows you to recover messages within a set time frame before they are permanently removed. As long as the retention period hasn’t expired, restoring these messages is quick and straightforward.

Steps to recover deleted messages from the recycle bin:

1. Open the Messages app and tap on the three dots.
2. Tap the Recycle Bin or Trash, where all the deleted messages will appear.
3. Select the conversation you want to recover.
4. Tap on Restore, and then all the restored messages appear in the messages box.

If you had Google Backup enabled before the messages were deleted, you might be able to recover them by restoring your device from a Google Drive backup. However, there are two main ways to restore them, depending on how your backup was created.

a. Restore SMS During Device Setup or After Factory Reset

Google’s built-in backup feature allows you to restore SMS messages, but only when setting up a new device or after resetting your phone.

Steps to restore SMS from Google Drive backup:

1. Go to Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset).
2. Restart your phone and begin the setup process.
3. When prompted, sign in with the same Google account you used for backup.
4. Choose the backup that includes SMS messages and tap Restore.
5. Wait for the process to finish. Once complete, open your Messages app to see your restored texts.

Note: This method erases your current data, so make sure to back up other important files first.

b. Restore SMS with the SMS Backup

If you don’t want to reset your phone, you can regain your SMS messages directly from your device’s Backup and Restore settings.

Here is how to do it:

1. Go to your phone's Settings.
2. Select Accounts and Backup.
3. Choose Backup and Restore.
4. Choose the backup source (Google Drive, Samsung Cloud, or your device’s local backup).
5. From the list of data types, check Messages.
6. Tap Restore and wait for the process to complete.

If you're using the Google Messages app, it's possible that your text messages weren’t deleted, but simply archived. Archiving removes messages from your main inbox view without deleting them. This means they’re still on your phone and can be easily restored.

Steps to Check for Archived Messages:

1. Open the Google Messages app.
2. Tap the three-line menu icon or your profile picture in the top-right corner.
3. Select Archived from the menu.
4. Browse through the list to see if the message you’re looking for is there.
5. To move a conversation back to the inbox, tap and hold the message, then tap the Unarchive icon.

If regular backup options don’t work, there are some advanced techniques to recover deleted SMS. These methods are more technical and best suited for users who are familiar with Android’s internal file system.

• Rooted Devices: Use a root-enabled file manager to access the SMS database file (mmssms.db) stored in /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/.
• ADB Commands: With USB debugging enabled, you can use Android Debug Bridge (ADB) on a computer to pull and view the SMS database.

If you don’t have a backup, third-party recovery tools like PhoneRescue or Dr.Fone can help recover permanently deleted messages by scanning your phone's storage. Alternatively, you can contact your carrier, as they may retain deleted messages for a limited time and help recover them with proof of identity.

If you don’t have a backup but want to recover permanently deleted messages using a computer, specialized recovery software may help. Tools such as FoneLab, Dr.Fone, PhoneRescue or DroidKit can scan your phone’s storage and attempt to recover erased messages.

Here is how to do it:

1. Download and install the recovery software on your computer.
2. Connect your Android/iPhone device via USB (Universal Serial Bus)
3. Allow the software to scan your device.
4. Preview and restore the deleted messages.

Recovering deleted SMS messages through your phone carrier is often possible, depending on the carrier's policies and the specific cases. Carriers may retain text message data for a limited period, usually for billing or service purposes, and can sometimes retrieve it upon request. However, this process often requires you to provide proof of identity and may sometimes involve legal procedures. It's essential to act quickly for this procedure, as carriers typically don’t store SMS data for extended periods.

To regain deleted messages from business texting apps, first check the platform's Archive or Trash folder, as many apps temporarily store deleted messages. If cloud backups were enabled, you can restore messages from services like Google Drive or iCloud, or you can contact customer support for assistance, depending on the app's policies.

Many business texting apps don’t delete messages right away. Instead, they move them to “Archive or Trash”, where you can restore them within a set time. You can check these sections first, as you might be able to restore messages without any special tools.

Some business texting apps, such as WhatsApp Business, offer integration with cloud backup services. If you’ve set up cloud backups in advance, you can restore deleted messages from these backups.

Steps to restore messages from cloud backups for WhatsApp Business (Google Drive/iCloud):

1. Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp Business on your phone.
2. Open the app and sign in with the same phone number.
3. During setup, when prompted, tap Restore to recover your messages from your cloud backup.
4. If you use Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iPhone), make sure the backup was taken before the messages were deleted.

If the app doesn’t offer direct methods for recovering deleted messages, you might be able to request data recovery through the customer support team of the service.

For example:

• Slack: Slack admins can submit a request to Slack support for assistance in recovering archived messages, provided they fall within the workspace’s retention policy.
• Twilio: If you use Twilio’s messaging API (Application Programming Interface), deleted messages may still be recoverable if they were logged in your server’s database or third-party storage. Contact Twilio support for help.

To prevent losing your text messages, regularly back up the device, enable cloud services, or use an app with archiving features. If you haven't deleted the messages, you can check the recycle bin or trash to retrieve them.

1. Regular Device Backup: Check the devices regularly to see whether the system is backed up properly. This ensures that all text messages and other important files and folders are backed up so you can quickly recover the messages when needed.
2. Enable Cloud Services: For iPhone, you can enable cloud services like iCloud, and for Android, you can enable Google Drive to back up important messages or files.
3. Use Apps with Archiving Features: Apps with archiving features store text messages without deleting them. This allows you to keep important messages so that you can quickly recover them when needed.
4. Check for Recycle Bin or Trash: Check your device's recycle bin or trash folder if you've accidentally deleted messages. You may be able to recover the messages before they are permanently deleted (it usually takes 30 days for messages to be permanently deleted).

Losing important text messages can be frustrating, but recovery is often possible with the proper methods. Whether you're using an Android or iPhone, there are several ways to restore deleted messages, such as checking the messaging app, using backups, or contacting your mobile carrier. Additionally, to prevent future data loss, ensure regular backups and enable cloud services like Google Drive or iCloud.