How long do deleted text messages stay on your iPhone?


You can only recover the messages and conversations you've deleted within the last 30 to 40 days. If you delete a message before you update to iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or later, you can't recover that message.

Are deleted texts on iPhone permanently deleted?

Note: Deleted messages remain in your Recently Deleted folder for up to 30 days, and you can recover them.

Are deleted iPhone messages stored anywhere?

Restore deleted messages from Recently Deleted Messages that you delete from your iPhone don't disappear immediately. They go to a kind of trash bin where they are stored for 30 days before they are erased for good. This means that you can restore your conversations for at least a month.

Is a deleted text message gone forever?

Clearing or deleting your messages on your devices doesn't mean the data is permanently gone, it's just been filed away differently.

How long are iPhone text messages stored?

You can choose to automatically delete your iMessages from your device after 30 days or a year, or to keep them on your device forever. For your convenience, iMessages are backed up in iCloud and encrypted if you have enabled either iCloud Backup or Messages in iCloud.

Are deleted iPhone messages stored anywhere?

Restore deleted messages from Recently Deleted Messages that you delete from your iPhone don't disappear immediately. They go to a kind of trash bin where they are stored for 30 days before they are erased for good. This means that you can restore your conversations for at least a month.

Do deleted messages stay on iCloud?

How long do deleted text messages stay in iCloud? Normally your deleted text messages will be kept for 30 days. After 30 days, they will be permanently deleted and you will have difficulty restoring them to your phone.

How do I permanently delete text messages from iCloud?

In a message conversation, touch and hold the message bubble or attachment that you want to delete. Tap More. Tap Delete , then tap Delete Message. If you want to delete all messages in the thread tap Delete All, in the upper-left corner.

How long does it take for deleted messages to be removed from iCloud?

When you delete a message, it's saved in your Trash for 30 days, after which it's permanently erased. When you delete an email from iCloud.com, it's deleted on all your devices that have Mail turned on in iCloud settings. You can also change where your deleted messages are stored.

Are iPhone messages stored?

“iPhone messages are stored in a database in what is called SQLite format.

How can I get old text messages from years ago?

Restore Texts from a Wireless Backup If you are currently using a wireless backup service, check when the last backup was made. If the most recent backup was made before you accidentally deleted the texts, you can restore that backup to your phone and the text messages will be restored to your phone as well.

How long do messages stay in deleted?

When you delete a message, it stays in your trash for 30 days. After that time, it will be permanently deleted.

How long do phone companies keep text messages?

The cell tower information is generally included. Most cell carriers retain content data between 3-7 days. The exceptions are: AT&T, Boost and T-Mobile which have zero days retention. Sprint's SMS content is retained for 12 days.

Are all text messages saved forever?

The answer depends. If you and the recipient of your text messages both delete them, clear your iCloud or other backups, and don't have a cellular carrier that saves them, there is a high likelihood they will be gone for good. However, text message deletion is a team effort.

Can iMessages be retrieved for court?

It's more difficult for law enforcement to get a hold of encrypted messages sent via secure messaging services like iMessage and WhatsApp. But if you use a cloud-based backup for these messagings apps, the content can still be accessed using special “cloud extraction” technologies, according to Privacy International.

Can deleted texts ever be recovered?

According to Google Support, you can restore texts, calls, device settings, contacts, calendars, photos and videos by opening the Google Drive app, tapping “Menu” then “Backups” and then restoring the backup version you're looking for.

How do I permanently delete text messages so they can t be recovered?

Choose “Reset”. Tap on “Factory data reset”. You can see a list of data types that will be removed, make sure you have backed up files. Tap on “RESET” to erase all of the text messages and other files from your Android phone.

Are deleted texts on iPhone permanently deleted?

Note: Deleted messages remain in your Recently Deleted folder for up to 30 days, and you can recover them.

Are deleted iPhone messages stored anywhere?

Restore deleted messages from Recently Deleted Messages that you delete from your iPhone don't disappear immediately. They go to a kind of trash bin where they are stored for 30 days before they are erased for good. This means that you can restore your conversations for at least a month.

What happens to deleted Apple messages?

If you delete an iMessage from another iPhone user or a text message from an Android user by mistake and want to recover it later, you're in luck. With iOS 16, Apple included the ability to undelete iMessages and regular text messages.

Why do deleted messages reappear on my iPhone?

Text messages hang around after you delete them because of how the iPhone deletes data. When you delete some kinds of items from the iPhone, they aren't removed. Instead, they're marked for deletion by the operating system and hidden so they appear to be gone, but they're still on the phone.

Can I find old text messages on iCloud?

How to recover text messages on iPhone using iCloud.com. Log in to iCloud.com with your Apple ID and password. Go to Text Messages and look for the ones you want to restore. The Text Messages option will be visible only if you've turned on backups for your texts.

How do I permanently delete text messages so they can t be recovered?

Choose “Reset”. Tap on “Factory data reset”. You can see a list of data types that will be removed, make sure you have backed up files. Tap on “RESET” to erase all of the text messages and other files from your Android phone.

Are deleted texts recoverable?

Third-party data recovery software may help you recover that deleted text message. There's no shortage of third-party data recovery apps in the Play Store and on the web. Software solutions like Dr.Fone, PhoneRescure, and FonePaw claim to retrieve deleted text messages on your Android phone.

How far back can text messages be traced?

All of the providers retained records of the date and time of the text message and the parties to the message for time periods ranging from sixty days to seven years. However, the majority of cellular service providers do not save the content of text messages at all.

Can text messages be recovered from phone company?

Yes, depending on the state law of where the phone company operates, they can retrieve deleted text messages. Government officials can access some of these retrieved deleted SMS based on a court request. Hence, it is not often handed to individuals just requesting it.