Apple’s iMessage service is a multimedia-centric instant messaging service with end-to-end encryption and multimedia files. Even though it may not be the best among social messaging apps, like WhatsApp and Viber, iMessage is powerful and cool enough to compete with other built-in messaging apps. In addition to iPhones and iPads, many people use iMessage on computers, including Mac and Windows. iMessage is very easy to use, so it’s easy to delete one or all messages. As a result, many users wonder: Will I be able to recover deleted iMessages?
How can I get deleted iMessages back on my iPhone? Don’t rush. With or without backup, this post will show you three free and easy ways to recover iMessages. Find out how to retrieve deleted iMessages on iPhone 12, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Mac, iPhone XS/XS Max/XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8/7/SE/6s/6, or iPad Pro (latest iOS 14 supported).
Method 1: Recover Deleted iMessages without Backup
You don’t have a backup? You don’t need to worry. On your iPhone or iPad, there’s still a good chance that you’ll be able to retrieve lost or deleted iMessages. iMessages that you just deleted are still stored in the iOS SQLite database before other new texts overwrite it. iMessage Recovery software is the safest and fastest way to recover deleted iMessages. In this situation, free iPhone Recovery is a good choice for you to recover deleted iMessages. Plus, you can use this freeware to delete text messages, contacts, call history, photos, videos, WhatsApp, notes, voice memos, Safari history, and much more from your iPhone or iPad.
How to Recover Deleted iMessages on iPhone/iPad without Backup:
Windows (10/8/7/XP/Vista) and Mac (10.12, 10.13, 10.14, and 10.15 Catalina) users can use this free iMessage recovery software to retrieve their missing messages. Follow the steps below to download and install the correct version on your computer.
- Select the Messages and Message Attachments options when using the iMessage Recovery software.
- Connect your iOS device to the computer and begin scanning your iMessages from your iDevice or iTunes backup. (If you lost or damaged your iPhone or iPad, you can find deleted iMessages from the iTunes backup or iCloud backup.)
- After the scan is complete, view and select the iMessage chats you want to recover.
Note: In case new messages from others overwrite the iOS SQLite database, please turn on your device’s airplane mode.
Method 2: Find Deleted iMsgs on Other Apple Devices
You can also remember that iMessage syncs across all your iOS and Mac platforms on which you activated it with the same Apple ID or iCloud account. As long as you enable the Messages syncing feature and use multiple devices, your iMessages will be on each device. You can go to your iPad or Mac after you deleted iMessages from your iPhone, and the deleted messages will be there. Likewise, vice versa. You can also turn off sync and download your iMessages back to your iPhone or iPad.
iMessage recovery software is the best option if you can’t find the deleted iMessages on multiple devices, like the previous method.
Method 3: Restore Deleted iMessages from iPhone Backup
Unless you backup your messages on your own, Apple does not keep your messages. If you have backed up the entire device with iTunes or iCloud recently, you can restore the data from the backup, as well as the old and deleted iMessages. However, this will restore your entire device to the backup date you selected. After that, some data may be lost.
Restore Deleted iMessages from iCloud (Without Computer)
Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings on your iPhone/iPad to erase all its contents before restoring from iCloud backup.
- Restart your iPhone or iPad and follow the on-screen instructions to set it up as a new device.
- You can restore your apps & data from an iCloud backup by choosing “Restore from iCloud Backup.” Sign in to iCloud to choose a backup.
- You will restore your iPhone or iPad from the selected iCloud backup. Wait until the restoration is complete while you remain connected to the Internet.
- After this is done, all backup data, including deleted iMessages, should appear on your device again.
Note: iMessages can also be restored from iCloud backups using Gihosoft iPhone Data Recovery Free. If you want to selectively recover certain conversations, you can preview the iMessage chats first. As a bonus, you won’t have to overwrite your existing iMessages on your iPad or iPhone.
Method4: Retrieve Deleted iMessages from iTunes Backup
Start iTunes on your computer that you used to back up your iPhone or iPad before your iMessages were lost or deleted.
- Connect your iPad or iPhone to the PC via a USB cable. If prompted, enter your device passcode or click “Trust This Computer”.
- When the device is connected successfully, press on “Restore Backup.” Choose the backup that contains your deleted iMessages and click “Restore.”
- Restart your device after the restore process is complete, and your deleted iMessages should appear in the Message app once again.
Note: In addition to the free iPhone Data Recovery, you can also use it to selectively recover deleted iMessages from iTunes backups rather than doing an entire restore. Freeware allows you to extract and recover messages from any iTunes backup, even encrypted ones.
Conclusion
It’s all I have to say. Depending on your situation, you can choose any of the three methods above. However, we strongly recommend that you download the free iPhone Data Recovery software. It can not only retrieve deleted iMessages directly from iPhone/iPad devices without any backup but also extract iTunes/iCloud backup files to ensure only iMessages are recovered and avoid data overwrite. Anyway, I hope this guide will help you successfully recover deleted or lost iMessages. Feel free to leave us a message in the comment section below if you encounter any problems.