WhatsApp has become an essential communication tool for many people. It allows us to easily connect with friends, family, coworkers, and more through messaging, voice calls, and video calls. However, there may be times when you accidentally delete a contact’s phone number from your WhatsApp contacts, leaving you unable to message or call that person through the app anymore. This can be extremely frustrating, especially if it’s an important contact that you need to reach. So is there any way to retrieve a deleted WhatsApp contact’s number?
Checking your phone’s contacts
The first thing you should do is check your phone’s main contacts list, outside of WhatsApp. If you previously had that person’s number saved in your phone’s contacts, it’s still likely there even if you deleted it from WhatsApp. You can simply re-add the number to your WhatsApp contacts using your phone’s contacts list.
However, if you don’t have the number saved anywhere else in your phone, things get a bit trickier. When you delete a contact in WhatsApp, it doesn’t just remove it from your contacts list in the app – it permanently deletes the number from WhatsApp’s servers. So the number cannot be retrieved from within WhatsApp anymore.
Trying a WhatsApp message history search
If you still have chat history with that contact in WhatsApp, there is one trick you can try. Open the chat history with that contact, whose number you want to retrieve. Tap and hold on an older message from that person. This will bring up options to copy, forward, etc. Choose the “More” option.
On the next screen tap “Contact info.” This will show details for that contact if WhatsApp still has it. You may see their name, profile photo, and most importantly – their phone number. You can copy or screenshot the number to save it.
However, this only works if you still have chat history with that person. If you also deleted the chat history, or reset your WhatsApp account entirely, then this method will not work.
Trying to restore from a third-party backup
If you previously backed up your WhatsApp chats and data to a third-party service like Google Drive or iCloud, you may be able to restore the deleted number from there.
For iPhone users, check your iCloud backup for WhatsApp. You should be able to find a backup file, restore it, and retrieve the lost number.
For Android users, connect to Google Drive and see if you have an old WhatsApp backup file. Restore this backup to your device, and the missing contact may reappear.
However, this depends entirely on having a backup that contains the deleted number. If you’ve overwritten all your backups since deleting the contact, then there’s nothing to restore it from.
Trying WhatsApp’s Google Drive backup
WhatsApp has its own built-in backup system using Google Drive (for Android) or iCloud (for iPhone). It automatically saves your WhatsApp data like messages, contacts, settings etc. You may be able to restore the deleted number from here.
On Android, go to WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. Tap “Restore” and select the backup date you want to restore from. Hopefully this backup contains the deleted number.
On iPhone, go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Restore. Again, choose a backup date that hopefully has the number.
If you don’t have any eligible backups from before you deleted the number, this method won’t work.
Contacting the person to get their number again
At this point, if you’ve exhausted all other options, your only choice may be to directly contact the person and ask them to send you their number again. This of course requires you to still have alternate means of contacting them outside WhatsApp.
You can message or call them via your regular phone number, through another messaging app you both use, or by email if you have it. Explain that you lost their number and kindly request that they share it with you again so you can re-add them on WhatsApp.
Most people will be happy to provide their number again if you’ve lost it. Just remember to save it in both your phone’s contacts and in WhatsApp itself this time, so you don’t lose it again!
Using a phone number search service
There are some online services that offer reverse phone number lookups. You provide some details like a name, location, carrier etc, and they search available databases to find associated phone numbers.
This likely won’t work for regular mobile numbers, but may be worth a try if the number you lost was a landline. Use the person’s name, physical address, and phone carrier if you know it.
However, success is not guaranteed. These services rely on public databases that are not always up-to-date or complete. Proceed with caution as some sites may request payment for basic searches.
Conclusion
Here are the key options to retrieve a deleted WhatsApp number:
- Check your regular phone contacts
- Search WhatsApp message history for the number
- Restore from a third-party backup like Google Drive or iCloud
- Restore from WhatsApp’s own Google Drive/iCloud backup
- Ask the person to send you their number again
- Try a phone number search service (for landlines only)
If none of these work, unfortunately there may not be any way to get the number back from WhatsApp itself. To avoid this issue in the future, always save important contacts in both your phone and WhatsApp, and regularly back up your WhatsApp chats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover a deleted contact’s phone number from WhatsApp?
No, when you delete a contact in WhatsApp the phone number is permanently deleted from WhatsApp’s servers and cannot be recovered from within the app. Your only options are restoring from a backup or asking the contact for their number again.
How far back can I restore WhatsApp chats from a Google Drive backup?
WhatsApp backups on Google Drive can restore chats and data from up to 40 days ago. However, any numbers deleted more than 40 days ago cannot be recovered from Google Drive.
Can I use WhatsApp on my computer to find deleted numbers?
No, WhatsApp Desktop mirrors the app on your phone. If a number is deleted from your phone’s WhatsApp, it will also be unavailable on WhatsApp Desktop. The desktop version cannot restore deleted data.
Is there any way to hack into WhatsApp’s server to find a lost number?
No, hacking into WhatsApp to find a deleted number would be extremely difficult and illegal. You should never attempt to access someone’s account or personal data without their consent.
Can my mobile carrier provide the number if I’ve lost it?
No, your mobile carrier would only have records of numbers that contacted or texted your own SIM card. They do not have access to your WhatsApp contacts and cannot recover deleted numbers.
Key Takeaways
- Deleted WhatsApp contacts cannot be retrieved from within the app itself.
- Your best bet is restoring an old backup that still contains the number.
- Be sure to save important contacts in both your phone and WhatsApp.
- Back up your WhatsApp data regularly to services like Google Drive.
- If all else fails, contact the person to ask for their number again.