Accidentally deleted an important message on your iPhone and now you’re panicking? Fear not! It’s possible to retrieve those deleted messages. The key is to act quickly before they’re gone for good. If you’ve backed up your iPhone to iCloud or iTunes before the messages were deleted, you’re in luck. Restoring your iPhone from a backup is the easiest way to recover deleted messages.
How to Get Deleted Messages on iPhone Tutorial
Before we dive into the step-by-step tutorial, it’s important to understand what we’re aiming to achieve. This tutorial will guide you through the process of retrieving deleted messages from your iPhone using iCloud or iTunes backups.
Step 1: Check if you have a backup
Before you can retrieve deleted messages, you need to make sure you have a backup.
If you’ve been regularly backing up your iPhone to iCloud or iTunes, there’s a good chance your deleted messages are in one of those backups. To check for an iCloud backup, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups. For an iTunes backup, open iTunes, connect your iPhone, and look for the device’s summary page.
Step 2: Disable Find My iPhone
To restore from a backup, you need to turn off Find My iPhone.
Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud, and toggle off Find My iPhone. This is a necessary step because you can’t restore your iPhone while Find My iPhone is activated.
Step 3: Erase your iPhone
This step might sound scary, but you have to erase your iPhone to restore it from a backup.
Head to Settings > General > Reset, and select “Erase All Content and Settings.” Your iPhone will restart as if it’s brand new.
Step 4: Restore from a backup
Now it’s time to put those messages back where they belong.
During the iPhone setup process, you’ll reach a screen that says “Apps & Data.” Here, choose “Restore from iCloud Backup” or “Restore from iTunes Backup” depending on where your backup is. Sign in to iCloud or connect to iTunes and select the backup that contains your deleted messages.
After you complete the restoration process, your deleted messages should reappear on your iPhone. It’s like they were never gone!
Tips for Getting Deleted Messages on iPhone
- Always back up your iPhone regularly to iCloud or iTunes to ensure you never lose important data.
- If you haven’t backed up your iPhone recently, try using a third-party data recovery tool to retrieve deleted messages.
- Act quickly! The longer you wait, the less likely you’ll be able to recover deleted messages.
- Don’t sync your iPhone with iCloud or iTunes after you realize messages have been deleted, as this could overwrite the backup containing the messages.
- Check the “Recently Deleted” folder in the Messages app; sometimes, messages can linger there for up to 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover messages that were deleted a long time ago?
If the messages were deleted a long time ago and are not in a recent backup, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to recover them.
Will restoring my iPhone from a backup erase my current data?
Yes, restoring from a backup will erase your current data and replace it with the data from the backup.
Can I retrieve deleted messages without a backup?
It’s difficult, but you might have success with a third-party data recovery tool.
Is it possible to recover only messages without restoring the whole iPhone?
No, the only Apple-supported method is to restore the entire iPhone from a backup that includes the messages.
Can I view the contents of an iCloud or iTunes backup before restoring?
You can’t view the contents of an iCloud backup, but you can use third-party software to view the contents of an iTunes backup.
Summary
- Check for an iCloud or iTunes backup.
- Turn off Find My iPhone.
- Erase your iPhone.
- Restore from the relevant backup.
Conclusion
Losing messages can be frustrating, especially if they contain important information. However, as we’ve seen, all hope is not lost. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can retrieve those deleted messages and breathe a sigh of relief. Remember, the key to successful data recovery is preparation—regularly back up your iPhone to avoid future panic. If you run into trouble or find that you don’t have a backup, consider using a third-party service, but be sure to research and choose a reputable one. And next time, before you hit that delete button, make sure it’s really what you want to do. Your future self will thank you for being cautious about what you delete from your iPhone.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.