4 Verified Ways to Retrieve Deleted Messages on iPhone

It’s quite a common situation that you want to retrieve deleted messages on an iPhone. While managing your text messages, you may mistakenly delete some important ones. Sometimes, your iPhone messages are lost due to a failed iOS update, app bugs, or other factors. Restoring iPhone messages is a useful feature that allows you to recover deleted or lost messages on your iPhone.

Whether it's a message from a loved one or important information, retrieving deleted messages can be a lifesaver. This post will share four simple methods to help you see and recover deleted messages on your iPhone.

Retrieve Deleted Text Messages iPhone

Part 1. Why You Need to Retrieve Deleted Messages on iPhone

You may want to retrieve deleted messages on an iPhone for several reasons. Before telling you how to find and restore your text messages, we like to discuss some common scenarios where recovering deleted messages becomes important.

Accidental Deletion: One of the most common reasons for deleted messages is accidental deletion. You may mistakenly delete important text messages on your iPhone while managing conversations.

Data Loss: Sometimes, due to software glitches, failed iOS updates, or app bugs, some iPhone messages can be lost without any user intervention. Restoring those messages becomes crucial to recover valuable conversations.

Device Malfunction: Hardware or software malfunctions can lead to data loss, including iPhone messages. In such cases, restoring messages can help retrieve essential information.

Software Updates or Restores: When you update or restore your iPhone, there is a chance that some messages might get deleted in the process.

Information Recovery: Messages can contain critical information, such as addresses, contact numbers, or important instructions. You can retrieve deleted messages on your iPhone to ensure that valuable data is not permanently lost.

Device Replacement: When you switch to a new iPhone and transfer various iOS data from your old device, there might be instances where some text messages don't get transferred successfully. If you use iTunes to sync data, the new ones may replace some iPhone messages.

Business Communications: In a professional setting, losing important business discussions can have severe consequences. Finding deleted messages back on iPhone becomes crucial for continuity and reference.

Legal and Compliance Requirements: In certain legal or compliance scenarios, you may need to retrieve deleted messages as evidence, for investigations, or to meet regulatory obligations.

Sentimental Value: Messages, such as important conversations with loved ones or nostalgic exchanges, often hold sentimental value. Restoring deleted messages can help preserve those memories.

Resolving Disputes: In case of disputes or misunderstandings, accessing deleted messages can help clarify the situation and reconcile differences.

Part 2. How to See and Restore Deleted iMessages on iPhone In iOS 18/17 or Later

If your iPhone runs iOS 18/17 or later, you can handily see your deleted messages from the Recently Deleted folder. Also, you are allowed to easily find them back within one month of deletion.

After deleting messages on your iPhone, they will be moved to the Recently Deleted folder. They remain for 30 days before being permanently deleted. You can open the Messages app and tap Filters in the top-left corner until you get to the main Messages screen. Here you can see deleted iPhone messages in the Recently Deleted folder. Choose the text messages you want to retrieve, then click Recover in the bottom-right corner.

Save Deleted iPhone Messages from Recently Deleted Folder

Part 3. Best Way to Retrieve Deleted Messages on iPhone Without a Backup

If you have a recent backup available, you can restore your iPhone to that backup using iTunes or iCloud. This will bring back all the iOS data, including your deleted messages. If you don't have a suitable backup containing your lost messages, many third-party data recovery tools might be able to help you. These tools scan your iPhone for recoverable data and attempt to retrieve them. We introduce you to the famous Aiseesoft iPhone Data Recovery to ensure you get the most possibility to rescue your deleted messages on your iPhone.

iPhone Data Recovery

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iPhone Messages Recovery

  • See and retrieve deleted messages on your iPhone without a backup.
  • Recover iPhone or iPad messages from an iCloud or iTunes backup safely.
  • Support all commonly-used iOS data types, including messages, images, contacts, etc.
  • Restore iOS files from devices with all iOS versions, like iOS 18/17, 16, 15, 14, and more.
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Step 1:
Download this iPhone messages recovery software on your Mac or Windows PC. Connect your iPhone to it using a USB cable. Unlock your phone and tap Trust to help make the connection successfully.
Screen
Step 2:
Ensure you select the Recover from iOS Device option. Click Start Scan to begin scanning existing and deleted iPhone data, including text messages, attachments, pictures, contacts, call history, notes, and more.
Start Scan Deleted Messages on iPhone
Step 3:
Once the scanning process is complete, all iOS files are listed in the specific data types on the left, such as messages, contacts, photos, memos, etc. Click Messages to see deleted messages on this iPhone.
Step 4:
Your deleted text messages will be shown in red. Click Show All and select Show Deleted Only to find your deleted or lost messages. Choose the messages you want to retrieve and click the Recover button.
Retrieve Deleted Text Messages iPhone without Backup

It's essential to stop using your iPhone once you realize that some important messages are accidentally deleted. You should prevent any new data from overwriting the deleted messages. The success of message recovery may vary depending on factors like available iPhone storage space and the time passed since the messages were deleted. You also can use this tool to get your disappeared contacts back for your iPhone.

Part 4. How to Get Deleted Messages Back on Your iPhone Using iCloud

If you have iCloud backup enabled and your deleted messages were synced to a recent backup, you can restore your iPhone to find your messages.

Step 1:
To retrieve deleted iPhone text messages using iCloud, you should first bring the iOS device back to the factory condition. To do that, go to Settings, tap General, and choose Transfer or Reset iPhone. Tap Erase All Content and Settings to reach the Erase This iPhone screen. Tap Continue and enter your passcode to confirm.
Erase iPhone Factory Reset
Step 2:
Set up your iPhone by following the on-screen prompts. Connect it to a stable and good Wi-Fi network. Complete the initialization process until you reach the Apps & Data screen. Select the Restore from iCloud Backup option.
Restore from iCloud Backup to Retrieve Deleted Messages
Step 3:
Sign in to your iCloud account. Ensure you use the same Apple ID associated with the previous iCloud backup containing your messages. After signing in, you will be prompted to select a backup to restore from. Choose the most recent backup that contains your deleted messages and proceed.
Step 4:
Wait for your iPhone to complete the restoration process. It may take some time, depending on the backup size and your internet connection speed. After that, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup. Your iPhone will start syncing text messages from the iCloud backup.
Step 5:
When the process is finished, open the Messages app and check if these deleted messages have been successfully recovered. You should see your conversations and all associated files.

Part 5. How to Restore Deleted Messages on iPhone from Finder or iTunes Backup

You can choose to retrieve deleted iPhone messages from iTunes if you have a suitable backup. If your Mac runs macOS Catalina or higher, you can also use Finder to recover text messages on your iPhone.

Recover deleted messages on iPhone using Finder

Step 1:
Launch Finder on your Mac and connect your iPhone with a Lightning USB cable. When connected, choose your device under the Locations section. You may need to tap Trust and enter your passcode to continue.
Open Finder on Mac Select iPhone
Step 2:
Click the Restore Backup button and select the latest backup from the drop-down menu. Click the Restore button to start the restoring process.
Restore Backup Using Finder on Mac

Retrieve deleted text messages on iPhone through iTunes

Step 1:
Open iTunes and ensure it is updated to the latest version. Connect your iPhone and make it connect successfully.
Step 2:
When your iOS device is recognized, click your iPhone button and go to Summary. Click the Restore Backup button and choose the iTunes backup that contains the deleted iPhone messages you want to restore. Click Restore and wait for the process to complete.
Find Deleted Messages on iPhone from Backup iTunes Backup

After the restoration process, your iPhone will restart automatically, and you should be able to get your deleted messages back on the iPhone. It's worth noting that restoring from an iTunes backup will overwrite all the contents on your iPhone with the backup data. Therefore, ensuring you have a recent backup before initiating the restoration process is important.

Part 6. FAQs of iPhone Text Messages Recovery

How do you enable message backup in iCloud?

You can enable Messages in iCloud to back up your received and sent messages on your iPhone. Your devices signed in with the Apple ID will get these messages synced. You can open the Settings app, enter your Apple account, choose iCloud, locate, and easily turn on Messages.

How can I retrieve permanently-deleted messages without a backup?

You should stop using your iPhone when you notice text messages are deleted permanently. Download and open the recommended Aiseesoft iPhone Data Recovery above and connect the iPhone to it. Then you can try recovering deleted messages from your iPhone.

How to transfer iPhone messages to a computer for backup?

You can use iTunes to transfer your iPhone data, including text messages, contacts, pictures, videos, and others, to your computer. Besides, you can use the easy-to-use iPhone messages transfer, Aiseesoft FoneTrans, to back up iPhone messages to your Mac or Windows computer.

Conclusion

Retrieving deleted messages on iPhone is necessary for various situations, ranging from accidental deletion to hardware malfunctions and data loss during updates to legal requirements. This post shares four effective methods to recover your iPhone text messages. You can follow these steps to find your lost or deleted messages and have them back on your iPhone in no time. Remember to regularly back up your iPhone to avoid any data loss in the future. If you need any more assistance, feel free to ask.

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