Deleting a text by mistake on your iPhone is easy, especially in the Messages app.

If that text contains essential information, it can cause panic. But don’t worry – if you act quickly, you can recover the deleted message.

Before iOS 16, you had to restore your iPhone from a backup to get the message back.

Fortunately, that’s no longer necessary, and you can now recover deleted messages directly in the Messages app. However, there’s a small catch.

Here’s how to recover recently deleted messages with just a few taps.

Find your deleted text messages

You can locate all your deleted texts in the Messages app. To access them, open Messages and tap the Edit option in the top left corner. Then, select Show Recently Deleted.

Individual messages or chats you’ve deleted will display with the corresponding contact or phone number.

They’ll show how many messages remain and the time left before permanent deletion. Act fast, as you have 30 days to recover them.

Once you recover them, you can view the messages, so you must recognize the contact name or phone number. Once recovered, you can read the texts.

Restore Messages You Want Back

Select the thread or message by tapping on it to recover a text message. Then, tap “Recover” at the bottom right and choose “Recover Message” in the pop-up.

To restore all deleted messages at once, don’t select any specific message and simply tap “Recover All.”

The restored messages will appear in the order they were sent or received. You should scroll through your texts to find them, especially if they are old and you have many new messages in your inbox.

For more details, check out the iOS 17 feature that enhances your iPhone’s security and learn how to opt out of Google’s Find My Device network (and why you might consider it).

Recover iPhone Messages with iCloud Backup

If your iPhone backs up to iCloud®, reset your iPhone to a recent backup to restore deleted messages. Recover messages or attachments, but you may lose other data.

Follow these steps:

1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
2. Tap iCloud and scroll down to ensure Messages are enabled.
3. Tap iCloud Backup and confirm a recent backup.
4. Return to Settings, tap General, scroll down, and select Reset, Transfer, or Reset iPhone.
5. Tap Erase all Content and Settings, then Confirm. You may need to turn off Find My™ and enter your iCloud password.
6. Wait for the iPhone to reset.
7. When the welcome screen appears, follow the setup prompts.
8. On the Apps & Data screen, tap Restore from iCloud Backup, and sign in with your Apple® ID.
9. Update your software if asked. Then, choose the backup made just before removing anything.

Retrieve iPhone Messages with iTunes

If you backed up your iPhone to an older Mac® or PC before deleting texts, you can restore them through iTunes®:

1. Connect your iPhone to a computer.
2. Open iTunes if it doesn’t start automatically.
3. Click the phone icon at the top, then select Summary from the left menu.
4. Click Restore Backup. Wait for the backup to complete; the deleted texts should appear on your iPhone.

Recover Deleted iPhone Messages with Finder

If your Mac® is running Catalina or later, use Finder® to recover deleted messages:

1. Connect your iPhone to a computer.
2. Open Finder if it doesn’t start automatically.
3. Click your phone’s name under Locations.
4. Click Restore Backup. Wait for the process to finish, and the deleted texts should reappear.

Contact Your Service Provider

Contact your mobile carrier if you need to recover deleted messages without a backup. They may have backups for texts that you can’t find.

Have you tried these steps and still need help? Get your tech issues resolved by calling or chatting with an expert now.