How To Retrieve Deleted Text Messages On Android And iOS

It's so frustrating when your text messages are lost and you can't seem to find them anywhere. It's like they just disappear into thin air and you have no way of retrieving them. This can be especially troublesome if you need to reference a particular message for whatever reason. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to try and retrieve deleted text messages—iMessage, SMS, and MMS messages.

Can You Retrieve Deleted Text Messages

The answer to this question depends on the phone and service provider you are using. If you have an iPhone, there is a chance that you can retrieve deleted messages through iCloud.

For Android phones, there are third-party apps like Dr.Fone, PhoneRescue, and FonePaw that claim to retrieve deleted text messages. If you have a phone with a different operating system, you will likely not be able to retrieve deleted text messages.

You can also use a data recovery program to see if it can find the deleted messages. This usually works if the messages were accidentally deleted recently and weren’t overwritten by new data.

Another option is to try to restore an SMS backup of your phone. If you regularly back up your phone, there’s a chance that the deleted messages will be in the backup. However, if you’ve never backed up your phone or the backup is too old, this probably won’t work.

The last option is to contact your cell phone carrier. They may be able to retrieve the messages from their records, but this isn’t always possible.

So, unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you will retrieve deleted text messages. However, it’s worth a try to see if any of the methods above work for you.

How To Retrieve Deleted Messages On Android

There are several ways to perform Android data recovery depending on the kind of phone you're using. Try either of these options to recover deleted SMS messages.

Option #1: Accidentally Archived

1. Open your Android Messages app
2. Tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the app
3. Select Archived
4. See if the messages you’re looking for were accidentally archived
5. Long-tap the message you want to retrieve
6. Tap the up-arrow icon at the top

Since Google Messages has no Recycle Bin, you’ll have to use third-party data recovery apps if you've never used a Google Drive backup.

Option #2: Samsung Deleted Messages

1. Open Messages on your phone
2. Tap the three-dot menu and open the Recycle Bin
3. See if the messages you’re looking for are there
4. Long tap the deleted text message you want to retrieve
5. Tap Restore at the bottom and check your inbox

On Galaxy phones, the built-in One UI Messages app comes with a ton of functionality and supports RCS. The Messages app stores deleted text messages in the Recycle Bin for a month. They are permanently deleted after 30 days.

Option #3: Third-Party Software and Apps to Retrieve Deleted Text Messages On Android

1. Dr.Fone: This app allows you to recover your lost or deleted messages from your Android device. It also supports recovering other data such as contacts, photos, videos, and more.
2. Undeleter Recover Files & Data: This app can help you recover lost or deleted files and data from your Android device, including messages.
3. PhoneRescue: PhoneRescue uses technologies that are specifically tailored to each device to ensure that you have the maximum chance of recovering lost data and files.

How To Recover Deleted Text Messages On iOS

You may restore your iPhone messages using multiple methods. These are the most common ways.

Option #1: Recover iOS 16 Deleted Messages

1. Open Messages and select Edit
2. Tap Show Recently Deleted from the menu
3. Select conversations you wish to retrieve
4. Tap Recover Message
5. Select Done to return to your inbox

Option #2: iCloud Recovery

1. Open Settings and tap your Apple ID profile
2. Select iCloud and tap iCloud Backup
3. Check if your backup was before or after your messages were deleted
4. If before, open Settings and tap General
5. Choose Transfer or Reset iPhone
6. Tap Erase All Content and Settings
7. Select Erase Now

Note: If you have older software, do not choose Backup Then Erase, or you’ll lose the previous backup and won't be able to retrieve the deleted text messages on your iPhone.

1. Once your iPhone launches as a new device, follow the instructions until you get to Apps & Data
2. Tap Restore from iCloud Backup
3. Enter passwords from iCloud Backup if necessary to sign in
4. Select the most recent backup that predates your text deletion

Option #3: Third-Party Apps and Software to Retrieve Deleted Text Messages On iPhone

1. iMessage Recovery: Designed to recover deleted iMessages and texts from your iPhone, this app can also recover messages that have been lost due to a software update or factory reset.
2. Primo iPhone Data Recovery: This app enables you to retrieve deleted iMessages and to increase success rates, it also offers three recovery modes.
3. D-Back iPhone Data Recovery: You may easily recover your deleted or lost iMessages with this software. It even offers four different recovery modes for a better possibility of retrieving lost data.