WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. With so many messages sent and received daily, it’s common for chats to pile up quickly. Sometimes you may want to delete old chats to clear up space or keep your message history organized. But is it possible to retrieve and view previously deleted WhatsApp chats?
Can you see deleted WhatsApp messages?
The short answer is no, you cannot see deleted WhatsApp messages once they have been erased. When you delete a chat or message in WhatsApp, it is permanently removed from your phone’s storage and WhatsApp’s servers. There is no built-in feature or setting that lets you recover or access deleted WhatsApp chats.
Here’s a bit more detail on how deleting chats works in WhatsApp:
- When you delete a chat, the messages are removed from your phone’s storage and WhatsApp’s servers.
- Other people in the chat will still have access to the messages you sent them, but you will no longer be able to view the messages you deleted.
- There is no “trash” or holding area where deleted WhatsApp chats are stored temporarily – deletion is permanent.
- The only way to see deleted messages again is if you had previously backed up your WhatsApp chats before deleting them.
So in summary, once a WhatsApp chat is deleted, it’s gone for good and cannot be retrieved directly within WhatsApp anymore.
Can you recover deleted WhatsApp messages?
Since deleting WhatsApp chats removes them permanently from your phone and WhatsApp’s servers, is it still possible to recover and view deleted messages in some way? The answer is maybe, but only in certain situations.
Here are the limited options you have for trying to recover deleted WhatsApp chats:
- From a previous backup: If you had set up backups for WhatsApp before deleting chats, you can restore from the latest backup to retrieve deleted messages. This only works if the backup was created before you deleted the chats.
- From your phone’s local storage: There is a small chance deleted files still exist in your phone’s storage that you could try to extract using data recovery software.
- From the sender’s phone: The other person you were chatting with may still have the messages you deleted on their device, which they could share with you again.
However, keep in mind these options are limited and not guaranteed to work:
- You can only restore from a backup that was made before you deleted the chats.
- Phone data recovery software cannot guarantee recovering deleted chats.
- The sender may have also deleted the chats or may not be willing to share them again.
So while it is sometimes possible to recover deleted messages through certain methods, there is no way directly within WhatsApp itself to view deleted chats again after they have been erased.
How to back up your WhatsApp chats
Since backups provide the only way to reliably restore deleted WhatsApp messages, it’s a good idea to regularly back up your WhatsApp chats. Here are steps to set up WhatsApp backups on Android and iPhone:
Android
- Open WhatsApp and tap the three-dot menu button.
- Go to Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
- Tap Back up to Google Drive and select a backup frequency (daily, weekly, etc).
- Tap Account and select the Google account to backup your chats to.
- Tap Back up over to choose whether to backup only on Wi-Fi or also on mobile data.
iPhone
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap the Backup toggle to turn iCloud backups on.
- Select how often you want WhatsApp to back up chats (daily, weekly, etc).
- Check that you are logged into iCloud in your iPhone’s Settings app.
With backups enabled, you can restore chats if you delete them by accident in the future. Just be sure to periodically create new backups so they reflect your latest chat history.
How to delete WhatsApp messages permanently
Although deleted WhatsApp chats can’t be recovered from within the app itself, keep in mind that backups and phone storage may still retain copies of the chats. If you want to permanently delete a WhatsApp conversation so it can’t be retrieved from any location, here are the steps to fully erase the chat:
- Delete the chat in WhatsApp as usual.
- Delete any existing backups containing the chat you want to delete.
- Use a “secure erase” app to overwrite the chat files in your phone’s storage.
This will ensure no trace of the chat remains in your phone, backups or WhatsApp’s server. You won’t be able to recover the deleted chat after taking these steps. Keep in mind other parties in the chat will still have your messages on their phones, which can’t be remotely deleted.
Other WhatsApp chat deletion tips
Here are some other tips to keep in mind regarding deleting WhatsApp chats and messages:
- You can delete one chat at a time, or tap and hold chats to delete multiple conversations at once.
- Make sure to exit group chats if you want to permanently delete the chat history.
- Enable auto-deletion in WhatsApp’s privacy settings to make messages delete automatically after a set time.
- Be careful when deleting chats as there is no undo option – deletion is permanent!
Conclusion
While deleted WhatsApp chats cannot be recovered directly within the app, there are limited options like backups and phone data recovery that provide some ability to retrieve deleted messages in certain circumstances. However, the only surefire way to restore deleted WhatsApp conversations is if you had a backup in place before deleting the chat.
To be able to access deleted WhatsApp messages again, make sure to regularly back up your chats. Also exercise caution when deleting chats and be absolutely certain before erasing a conversation for good. With billions of users, WhatsApp has become the world’s messaging platform of choice – take steps to protect your chat history on it!