How to Recover Deleted Messages on iPhone (Texts and iMessages)

Deleted a text you needed? There's a good chance it isn't gone. Since iOS 16, the Messages app keeps deleted conversations in a Recently Deleted folder for a while, just like Photos. After that, your options shrink to backups, and they come with a trade-off. Here's what to try, in order.

Recover messages from Recently Deleted

1. Open Messages.
2. On the conversations list, tap Edit at the top left (on some versions it's Filters).
3. Tap Show Recently Deleted or Recently Deleted.
4. Select the conversations or messages you want back.
5. Tap Recover, then confirm.

The messages go back into their original conversation. If you don't see a Recently Deleted option at all, either nothing has been deleted recently, or your iPhone is on a version older than iOS 16.

The 30 to 40 day limit

Apple says you can only recover messages deleted within the last 30 to 40 days. After that they're permanently removed from Recently Deleted. There's one more catch in the small print: if you deleted the message before your iPhone was updated to iOS 16, it can't be recovered this way at all.

Check your other Apple devices

If you use Messages in iCloud, your conversations sync between your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Deleting on one usually deletes on all, but there's a short window, and a device that's been switched off or offline might still have the conversation. Turn on its Wi-Fi only after you've looked, or the deletion may sync to it.

Recover from a backup

If the messages are older than the Recently Deleted window, a backup is the remaining route, with conditions:

Situation	Will a backup help?
Messages in iCloud is off and you have an older iCloud backup	Yes, messages are in the backup
You have an older computer backup	Yes, if Messages in iCloud was off
Messages in iCloud is on	No, Apple doesn't include synced messages in backups

Restoring a backup means erasing the iPhone and restoring from that earlier point, which also rolls back everything else: photos taken since, new app data and settings. Back up the current state first so you can return to it, and only go down this route for something that matters.

What about recovery software?

Plenty of apps promise to recover deleted texts without a backup. Be sceptical. Most can only read existing backups, the same ones you can restore yourself, and many want access to your full phone data. If messages were deleted long ago and aren't in any backup, they're very unlikely to come back.

Other places to look

• The other person's phone: deleting on your side doesn't delete on theirs. Ask them to screenshot or forward it.
• Email or notifications on a Mac: some messages may have been forwarded or mirrored elsewhere.
• WhatsApp and other apps: these have their own backups, found in each app's settings.
• Second-number apps: texts sent through apps like TextNow live in that app, not Messages; my review of whether TextNow is safe explains how they store messages.

Stop it happening again

• Keep Messages in iCloud on so conversations sync across your devices.
• Check Keep Messages in Settings, Messages is set to Forever, not 30 days or 1 year, or older messages delete themselves.
• Screenshot anything you'll need as evidence, such as a booking code or an agreement.

That Keep Messages setting is a common culprit when old threads vanish on their own. Many people switched it to save space and forgot.

Recently Deleted for photos too

The same idea works in the Photos app, which keeps deleted photos in a Recently Deleted album. If you've lost pictures from a conversation, check there too. For camera problems rather than lost files, my guide to an iPhone camera black screen has the fixes.

Recover a single message, not a whole thread

Recently Deleted shows whole conversations and individual messages you removed from inside a conversation. If you only deleted one text from a long thread, open Recently Deleted and look for the conversation name; the deleted messages appear there grouped by contact. Select just the one you need and tap Recover, and it slots back into its place in the thread with its original time.

Permanently delete instead

The same screen works the other way. If you deleted something sensitive and want it gone now rather than in a few weeks, open Recently Deleted, select it and tap Delete. That removes it from your iPhone and, with Messages in iCloud on, from your other devices too. Remember that the other person still has their copy.

Act quickly

The sooner you look, the better your chances. Recently Deleted clears itself on a rolling basis, so a message deleted near the start of that window may vanish any day. Check as soon as you notice something's missing, and recover everything you might need; you can always delete it again later.

My verdict

Go to Messages, Edit, Recently Deleted first: if the message went in the past few weeks, it's almost certainly there. Beyond that, a backup only helps if Messages in iCloud was off, and restoring it rolls back your whole phone, so weigh it carefully.

Frequently asked questions

How do I recover deleted text messages on my iPhone?

Messages, Edit or Filters, Recently Deleted, select them and tap Recover.

How long are deleted messages kept on iPhone?

Apple says 30 to 40 days in Recently Deleted.

Can I recover messages deleted more than 30 days ago?

Only from an older backup, and only if Messages in iCloud was off.

Why don't I see Recently Deleted in Messages?

You need iOS 16 or later, and there must be recently deleted messages.

Do recovery apps work for deleted iPhone texts?

Usually only by reading existing backups. Be cautious about the access they ask for.