In iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, or later, you can recover conversations and messages you deleted in the Messages app.
Delete a single message
- Within a conversation, touch and hold the message bubble to open an options menu.
- Tap More .
- Tap the Trash button
, then tap Delete Message.
To keep your messages for a certain amount of time, go to Settings, tap Messages, then tap Keep Messages. Then select how long you want to keep your messages.
When you delete a message, the message only disappears from your Messages thread, not from your contacts' threads. To remove a message that you accidentally sent from everyone's threads, use undo send.
If you use Messages in iCloud and delete a message, photo, or conversation on one device, it’s removed from all of your devices.
Delete a conversation
- Touch and hold the conversation to open an options menu.
- Tap Delete
.
- Tap Delete once more to confirm.
As long as the conversation isn't pinned, you can also swipe left over the conversation, tap Delete, then tap Delete again to confirm.
To delete more than one conversation, open Messages and tap Edit in the upper-left corner. Tap Select Messages, then tap the circle next to the conversations and tap Delete in the bottom-right corner.
Retrieve a deleted message or conversation
- In Messages, tap Edit.
- Tap Show Recently Deleted .
- Choose the conversations with the messages you want to restore, then tap Recover.
- Tap Recover Message or Recover [Number] Messages.
You need iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, or later to recover deleted messages and conversations. You can only recover messages and conversations that you deleted within the last 30 to 40 days.
iPadOS 16.1 coming in October
Published Date: September 12, 2022
by Anna Sherry Updated on 2022-08-12 / Update for Data Recovery
It may be frustrating if you deleted your messages mistakenly and there is no UNDO or CANCEL button. There’s also no Trash Bin option so that you can recover your deleted data easily. Here are some of the easy ways to recover deleted iMessages without iCloud.
- Way 1. Recover Deleted Messages with iTunes or Finder instead
- Way 2. Check Deleted Messages on iPhone without iCloud
- Way 3. Get Back Deleted Messages from Your Carrier
Can Deleted iPhone Text Messages be Recovered
Yes, the deleted text messages on your iPhone can be recovered. It can be easy if you backup as when you delete the message they backup on iCloud or a computer. iCloud only gives you 5GB of storage space but what if it’s full and doesn’t have space for deleted messages. However, you can still retrieve deleted text messages without iCloud.
3 Ways to Retrieve Deleted Text Messages without iCloud
You just deleted some of your important messages along with other messages and suddenly realized that it was a big mistake. Well, nothing to worry about! Here are the 3 easiest methods to retrieve deleted text messages on an iPhone without iCloud.
Way 1. Recover Deleted Messages with iTunes or Finder instead
This is the easiest and simplest method to recover the deleted text messages. You can use this method if you have a backup. It means that you can restore the data with that backup by using iTunes if you have Windows, or Finder if you're on a Mac. Here’s how you can do it.
- You need to connect your iPhone to your computer using the lightning to USB cable. Now, open iTunes or Finder.
- If you have Windows, open iTunes, there you need to click on the phone icon on the top of your screen and select Summary from the menu on the left side of the screen. In the case of Finder, select your phone’s name under the Locations section.
- Now click Restore Backup and your deleted messages will hopefully get back to your iPhone. In case, they are not recovered, probably the messages aren’t in the backup.
If you see that the Restore Backup button is grayed out and won’t allow you to click on it. Click on the check box saying This Computer or Back up. This will back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac.
Way 2. Check Deleted Messages on iPhone without iCloud
When you are unable to find your deleted messages on backup or iCloud then probably they aren’t there. Or, if you forget the password for iCloud. What should you do to recover those deleted text messages on your iPhone without iCloud?
To help you with this issue, Tenorshare UltData is here for you. Tenorshare Ultdata is an amazing software that helps those individuals who want to recover deleted iPhone text messages without backup conveniently.
- On your computer, run the software on your computer. Giving it access will allow this software to automatically detect your iPhone.
When Tenoshare Ultdata detected your iPhone successfully. It will take to an interface just like shown in the image below. From there, you need to select the option of “Messages & Attachments” options. You can choose any file type of your choice to recover the deleted text messages. Once done, click “Scan” to start the recovery process.
After scanning is completed, you will see all the scanned files from your iPhone. You can select “Show All” or “Only display the deleted items” to recover the data of your choice. From there, you can search for the data that you want to recover. Select the file that you want to retrieve and then click on the “Recover” button.
If you still have any confusion, here’s a video tutorial about how to retrieve deleted text messages without iCloud.
Way 3. Get Back Deleted Messages from Your Carrier
If the above-shared methods don’t work for you then the final option to recover deleted text messages is to reach out to your carrier. Some carriers keep records of your calls as well as your messages.
If everything fails, it can be a last effort to recover your deleted messages. You can contact your service provider's customer service line or you can log in to your carrier account.
Summary
This guide answers how to recover deleted iMessages without iCloud. It’s worth noting that the sooner you try to recover your deleted messages the more the chance you have of recovering them. If you’re lucky the data will be on backup but if not then Tenorshare UltData can be an effective tool that can recover your messages for you using a computer.
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