WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows us to easily communicate with friends, family, coworkers, and more through text, voice notes, video calls, and more.
However, there may be times when we accidentally delete a WhatsApp message that we wish we could get back. Maybe it was an important message from a loved one, details about an upcoming event, or a work-related message you need.
The good news is, it is possible to recover deleted WhatsApp messages in many cases! In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know, including:
What happens when you delete a WhatsApp message
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages
– On Android
– On iPhone
Tips for recovering deleted WhatsApp messages
Alternative options when message recovery doesn’t work
How to prevent deleting WhatsApp messages
Let’s start by understanding exactly what happens when you delete a WhatsApp message.
What happens when you delete a WhatsApp message
When you delete a WhatsApp message, it is removed from your chat screen and your friend/group’s chat screen. However, it is not immediately deleted from WhatsApp’s servers. This is great news for message recovery!
Here’s a more detailed look at what happens:
– The message is removed from your phone’s local WhatsApp database. So you can no longer see it in the app.
– However, the message still exists on WhatsApp’s servers for a period of time. WhatsApp does not immediately delete it.
– The message remains on your friend/group member’s phones if they already received it. You deleting it only removes it from your end.
– After an unspecified amount of time, WhatsApp does permanently delete old messages from its servers. At this point, recovery is likely impossible.
So in summary – deleted WhatsApp messages hang around on servers for a while before being deleted forever. This window of time between deleting a message and permanent deletion is your opportunity to recover deleted messages!
The actual length of time varies based on a few factors:
– **Operating system** – Deleted messages stay in WhatsApp’s iOS (iPhone) database longer than the Android database.
– **Usage activity** – The more active conversations you have, the faster old deleted messages get purged from the database.
– **Time since deletion** – The longer ago a message was deleted, the less likely you can recover it.
In general, you can expect deleted messages to be recoverable for approximately 2 to 7 days on Android and up to 30 days on iPhone. But it depends on the factors above.
The next section will show you how to recover deleted messages on both Android and iPhone, making use of this restoration window before WhatsApp permanently deletes them.
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages
Here are step-by-step guides for recovering deleted WhatsApp messages on Android phones and iPhones.
On Android
There are a few different methods for restoring deleted WhatsApp messages on Android phones:
Method 1: Restore from Google Drive backup
WhatsApp automatically backs up your message history to Google Drive. You can restore deleted messages by restoring your WhatsApp from an older backup:
1. Open WhatsApp, then tap the 3-dot Menu > Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
2. Tap “Backup” to create a new backup. This saves your current message history to Google Drive.
3. Now uninstall WhatsApp and reinstall it. When prompted, restore your data from the backup you just made.
4. Deleted messages from before your latest backup should now be restored!
Method 2: Use data recovery software
You can use data recovery apps to scan your phone and extract deleted WhatsApp messages that aren’t yet fully deleted. Some options:
– **Dr.Fone** – Provides a full scan and recovery of various data types.
– **iMyFone D-Back** – Specialized for retrieving deleted WhatsApp messages and attachments.
– **FoneDog Toolkit** – Recovers data from both Android and iOS devices.
The general process is:
1. Download and install the data recovery app on your computer.
2. Connect your Android phone to the computer.
3. Grant permissions so the app can scan your device.
4. Select WhatsApp as the data type to scan and recover.
5. Preview and select the deleted messages you want to restore.
6. Export the messages to your computer or phone.
Method 3: Retrieve from WhatsApp backup files
Dig into your local WhatsApp backups to extract deleted messages:
1. On Android, backups are saved in WhatsApp/Databases folder. The file name is msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12.
2. Copy the latest .crypt12 file to your computer.
3. Use a database decryption tool, like Crypt12, to convert and decrypt the backup.
4. Open the decrypted database with SQLite Database Browser to view deleted messages.
5. Export the messages you want to recover.
This method requires technical expertise, but gives you direct access to restore deleted data from backup files.
On iPhone
Recovering deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone utilizes iTunes or iCloud backups:
Method 1: Restore iTunes backup
1. Connect iPhone to computer and open iTunes.
2. Create a new iTunes backup by going to Summary > Back Up Now.
3. Restore the iPhone from the latest backup via Summary > Restore Backup.
4. Deleted WhatsApp messages from before this backup will be restored.
Method 2: Restore from iCloud backup
1. Go to iPhone Settings > tap your name > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.
2. Tap to restore from your latest iCloud backup.
3. Go to WhatsApp and verify older messages are now restored.
As you can see, the process for recovering deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone revolves around leveraging iTunes or iCloud backups. As long as you have a backup from before the messages were deleted, you can restore it to get them back.
Tips for recovering deleted WhatsApp messages
To improve your chances of message recovery, keep these tips in mind:
– Act quickly! Your chance of recovery decreases over time.
– Create a new backup immediately, before more messages get purged.
– Avoid sending new messages before restoring your backup.
– Store your phone in Airplane Mode to stop syncing.
– Jailbreaking your iPhone may extend the available recovery period.
– Paid software offer better scanning and file extraction capabilities.
– You may be able to recover partial message fragments.
– Look for messages in your phone’s local storage and SD card.
– Try alternative recovery methods if one doesn’t work.
– Contact WhatsApp support if you still can’t retrieve a very important message.
The earlier you attempt recovery, the better. Don’t wait weeks or WhatsApp will likely have deleted your messages forever already.
Alternative options when message recovery doesn’t work
Unfortunately, WhatsApp message recovery does not work 100% of the time. Sometimes too much time has passed or the data is overwritten. When the usual recovery methods fail, all hope is not lost. Consider these alternative options:
Check the sender’s phone
Even if you deleted a message, the sender still has it on their phone. Contact them and ask if they can resend the message you need.
Look in email notifications
WhatsApp may have emailed you notifications about the messages when you first received them. Check your email inbox for any notification emails from WhatsApp – the message content might be included.
Try a different recovery tool
If one data recovery app doesn’t find your deleted messages, try a different one. Each tool uses different recovery algorithms, so you may get lucky with an alternative.
View Google Drive or iCloud backups
Browse through your cloud storage backups manually to see if you can find the deleted WhatsApp message files. They may be partially retrievable.
Check with your mobile provider
Some carriers keep message logs. Contact your phone provider to ask if they have any records of deleted WhatsApp messages from your device.
Ask WhatsApp to extend the deletion period
For extremely important deleted messages, you can try reaching out to WhatsApp support and ask if they can hold off on deleting your message data a little longer while you attempt other recovery methods. There’s no guarantee they can help, but for very special cases it’s worth a shot.
With some persistence and creativity, you may be able to recover deleted WhatsApp messages through alternative means if the usual methods fail. Don’t give up hope!
How to prevent deleting WhatsApp messages
To avoid the headache of trying to restore deleted WhatsApp messages, the best policy is to be careful about not deleting messages in the first place. Here are some tips to prevent accidental (or purposeful) message deletion:
Enable chat backups
Regularly back up your WhatsApp chats to Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iPhone). Then if messages do get deleted, you can restore the backup.
Star key messages
Star important chats so they stand out. This reduces the risk of swiping and deleting them.
Use the trash feature
When deleting messages, send them to the trash first. This adds an extra step before permanent deletion.
Disable auto-deletion
Turn off any auto-deletion settings, like deleting old messages after a year. This prevents WhatsApp from deleting important messages automatically.
Be careful when mass deleting
Pay close attention when selecting multiple conversations to delete. Make sure you don’t accidentally choose important threads.
Lock WhatsApp with authentication
Set up fingerprint, face, PIN, or password authentication on WhatsApp. This prevents unauthorized access which could lead to message deletion.
Use WhatsApp on a computer
Install WhatsApp on your computer to have a messaging backup if anything happens to your phone.
With good backup practices and deletion precautions, you can largely avoid situations where you need to recover deleted messages. But if you do end up needing the recovery tips from this guide, now you know what to do!
Conclusion
While it can be stressful to accidentally delete important WhatsApp messages, the situation is recoverable in many cases. WhatsApp retains deleted messages on their servers for a limited time before permanent removal. By leveraging chat backups and data recovery tools, you can often restore deleted messages – especially if you act quickly.
Make sure to create fresh backups as soon as you notice missing messages, before WhatsApp purges more data. And when in doubt, try multiple recovery methods. With the right tools and techniques, you stand an excellent chance of getting back that deleted WhatsApp message. Just don’t wait too long before attempting recovery!