Text messaging has become one of the most common ways for people to communicate in the modern era. Whether it’s quick conversations with friends and family or important information shared between colleagues, SMS provides a fast and convenient messaging option. However, sometimes text messages can be accidentally or intentionally deleted from your phone. When this happens, you may want to try and recover those deleted texts. So can deleted SMS messages be restored?
Can You Recover Deleted Text Messages?
The short answer is maybe. There are a few different factors that determine whether you can retrieve deleted text messages or not:
- How the messages were deleted – If you manually deleted messages or performed a standard reset/restore on your phone, the texts may still be recoverable from your phone’s memory or SIM card. However, if you performed a factory reset or the phone was damaged/replaced, the original messages are likely gone for good.
- How long ago the deletion happened – The sooner you try to recover deleted texts, the better. As new data writes over the phone’s memory, permanently erasing what was there before. Trying to recover texts deleted months or years ago becomes very difficult.
- The make and model of your phone – Different phones store data differently. Older smartphone models tend to keep more residual data for a longer period than newer phones.
- Whether you backed up your text messages – Backing up to cloud storage or local storage gives you another place to retrieve deleted texts from.
So while text message recovery is never guaranteed, it is sometimes possible if conditions are right. The best bet is to act quickly after deletion and use data recovery software or professional services designed for this purpose. But the longer you wait, the lower your chances of restoring deleted SMS messages.
How Are Text Messages Stored on Phones?
To understand how deleted texts can possibly be retrieved, it helps to know how phones store SMS/MMS data.
When you send or receive a text message, it gets written to your phone’s internal memory. Specifically in the phone’s SMS storage database. This is a centralized repository where all SMS and MMS messages on the device are kept. The database file is managed and updated by the phone’s messaging app.
When you delete a message in your messaging app, it doesn’t immediately disappear from the SMS storage database. Instead, the database entry for that message gets marked as deleted/hidden. But the actual message contents remain in the database file temporarily. This allows for the possibility of recovery until getting overwritten by new data.
In addition to internal phone storage, your text messages may also be backed up to external sources like:
- Cloud – Cloud backups offered by your mobile carrier or apps like iCloud retain copies of your texts online.
- Local Computer – Backups to a computer keep another readily accessible copy of your phone’s SMS database.
- SIM Card – Older SIM cards have a small storage space where some text messages may be kept after deletion.
These secondary backup sources are another avenue for recovering deleted texts if needed. But you can only access messages that were backed up prior to deletion.
How to Recover Deleted Text Messages
If you need to retrieve deleted texts, here are some steps you can take:
Check Online Backups
If you routinely back up your phone to the cloud, reconnect to the cloud service and see if the deleted texts are still available there. Services like iCloud, Google Drive, and your cellular provider’s cloud backup are places you may find recoverable messages.
Check Local Backups
Similarly, check any local computer backups like iTunes or desktop backup software. Access the SMS database file from the backup and see if the deleted messages persist there.
Use Data Recovery Apps
There are mobile apps designed specifically for recovering lost phone data like text messages. Examples include iMyFone D-Back, Dr.Fone, and PhoneRescue. Follow the app’s prompts to scan your phone and extract the SMS database file containing deleted texts.
Remove the SIM Card
If you have an older SIM card that stores texts, remove it from your phone and insert it into another phone. You may be able to view at least some recently deleted messages the SIM retained in its memory log.
Use a Data Recovery Service
For difficult cases, professional data recovery services can sometimes extract the SMS database from a damaged or wiped phone. This requires specialized tools and skills, but can recover text messages other methods cannot.
Preventing Text Message Loss
To avoid losing important texts in the future, here are some tips:
- Back up your text messages – Routinely back up your SMS database to cloud storage and external devices.
- Export conversations – Save important message threads by exporting them to storage.
- Screenshot texts – Take screenshots of essential texts for a visual record.
- Don’t factory reset your phone – Avoid wiping your device unless absolutely necessary.
- Review apps’ access permissions – Use caution when granting apps access to read/modify texts.
Third-party SMS Recovery Apps
Here is a comparison of some top third-party apps for recovering deleted text messages:
| App | Supported Platforms | SMS Recovery Features |
|---|---|---|
| iMyFone D-Back | iOS | Recovers deleted SMS, MMS, and iMessages from iPhone and iPad backups. Allows exporting messages to computer. |
| Dr.Fone | iOS, Android | Retrieve deleted texts from internal phone memory and iCloud backup. Offered SMS backup and restore features. |
| PhoneRescue | iOS | Scans and recovers iMessages, SMS, MMS, and WhatsApp messages on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices and backups. |
SMS Recovery Services
Professional SMS recovery services provide expert data recovery as another option when DIY solutions don’t work. Here are some top services and key details:
| Service | Details | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Secure Data Recovery | Offers SMS/text message recovery for all phones and operating systems. Handles water damage, hardware issues. | Starts at $699 for basic iOS SMS recovery. |
| MyBraintree | Recovers text messages from iOS and Android phones. Also retrieves WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram messages. | Starts at $500 for simple iOS SMS recovery. |
| Ontrack | Recovers data from all phones, including deleted SMS/texts. Handles water, fire, hardware damage. | Starts at $849 for minor iOS recovery. |
Can You Recover Deleted Texts Without Software?
Sometimes it may be possible to restore deleted texts without using any specialized software or services. Here are some DIY methods to try:
Check the Messaging App Trash Folder
Many messaging apps have a trash or recycle bin folder where deleted messages get temporarily stored. Check your messaging app’s trash folder to see if the text you need is still available there.
View Notification Log on Android
Android phones store notifications you receive, including the content of new text messages, in the notification log. Go to Settings > Notifications > Notification Log to view deleted texts.
Check iCloud Website on Computer
The iCloud website provides access to synced iPhone content, including texts if you have iCloud backup enabled. Sign in on a computer to look for deleted iMessages.
Use Data Extraction Software
Programs like iExplorer and iBackupBot allow manually extracting the SMS database from iPhone/iPad backups made through iTunes. This lets you view deleted texts saved in the backup.
SIM Card Transplant
Insert your SIM card into another phone to check if deleted texts were cached in the SIM memory and are accessible there.
Can Carriers Recover Deleted Texts?
Cell phone carriers have access to text messages sent through their networks. But they don’t routinely store customers’ full message history. Most carriers only keep a short-term record of SMS activity for billing or diagnostic purposes. So it’s unlikely, though not impossible, that a carrier could recover deleted texts for you.
Carriers that do backup sent/received texts typically only retain them for 3-5 days due to privacy laws. The major exception is if you pay for a cloud backup service through your carrier, which does archive texts long-term. But those backups are stored on your account, not the backend carrier systems. So you’d need to restore your own backup rather than ask the carrier to produce deleted texts.
Legal Access to Deleted Text Messages
There are situations where a court may order the recovery of deleted text messages from a phone or carrier. This only happens under specific legal circumstances like:
- Criminal investigations – Law enforcement can subpoena SMS records as evidence.
- Personal injury lawsuits – Plaintiffs request texts to establish things like negligent behavior.
- Divorce cases – Deleted texts may reveal secret communications or assets.
Specialized forensic data recovery tools are used to pull as much SMS data as possible from the phone memory and SIM card. Carriers will also retrieve any backed up or cached texts remaining on their systems if legally compelled. But overall, recovering deleted texts via legal means is difficult without an existing backup source.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key points to remember about restoring deleted text messages:
- It’s possible to recover deleted texts from phone memory, backups, and the SIM card in some cases.
- The sooner you attempt recovery, the better the chances of retrieving messages.
- Backing up texts regularly provides the best protection against permanent deletion.
- Carriers have limited ability to restore deleted SMS from their systems.
- Text messages may potentially be recovered via court orders and forensic data recovery tools.
- Avoid factory resetting your phone to increase chances of text recovery.
Conclusion
Retrieving deleted text messages is often hit or miss. With the right conditions and tools, you may be able to rescue critical SMS conversations thought to be lost. But aside from backups and prompt action, there are no guarantees when it comes to text message recovery. The information contained here provides some options to potentially restore deleted texts. But preventing permanent data loss through regular backups remains the most reliable solution.