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Two Methods:Text Message Recovery on Android PhonesText Message Recovery on iPhones

Deleting text messages, either by accident or on purpose, may result in the loss of important data. If you need to recover the info on a text message, the best way is to download a data recovery program tailored to your phone. You can find out how to retrieve deleted texts on Android phones and iPhones by following the instructions below.

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EditMethod 1 of 2: Text Message Recovery on Android Phones

  1. Retrieve Deleted Texts Step 1.jpg
    1
    Stop saving data on your phone as soon as you know you want to recover a deleted text message. The ability to save the text may depend upon whether the space has been rewritten with other data.
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  2. Retrieve Deleted Texts Step 2.jpg
    2
    Download an Android recovery application on your computer.
    • Go to download.cnet.com and search for "Android data recovery."
    • Keep in mind that several of these programs are paid programs that offer free trial versions, and others are free. Android Data Recovery is a popular choice, as a paid program with a free trial.
  3. Retrieve Deleted Texts Step 3.jpg
    3
    Enable USB debugging. Go to "Settings," then look in "Applications" or "Developer Tools."
  4. Retrieve Deleted Texts Step 4.jpg
    4
    Find "USB Debugging." Click on it to enable the feature.
  5. Retrieve Deleted Texts Step 5.jpg
    5
    Plug your Android phone into the USB cord. Connect the cord to your computer.
  6. Retrieve Deleted Texts Step 6.jpg
    6
    Open the Android data recovery program.
  7. Retrieve Deleted Texts Step 7.jpg
    7
    Click the "Start" or "Scan" buttons. You want the software to search for data on your Android phone.
  8. Retrieve Deleted Texts Step 8.jpg
    8
    Look in the "Messages" section for your deleted texts.
  9. Retrieve Deleted Texts Step 9.jpg
    9
    Click on the deleted text, if you find it. Click the option to recover the file on your phone. Wait for the recovery process to be complete.
  10. Retrieve Deleted Texts Step 10.jpg
    10
    Eject your Android device from the computer. Check your phone to see if you have access to the text message.
    • If you do not see it appear on your phone, you may have to write down the information while in the data recovery program.

EditMethod 2 of 2: Text Message Recovery on iPhones

  1. 1
    Do not connect your iPhone to the computer after you have deleted the messages. You do not want iTunes to automatically back up the phone, because it will delete the previous backup.
  2. 2
    Download an iPhone data recovery tools, such as Wondershare. There are different versions depending upon if you own a Mac or Windows computer.
  3. 3
    Install the program. Open it on your computer.
  4. 4
    Choose the option to recover data from an iTunes backup. It may ask you whether you want to recover it from a device or the backup.
    • The previous backup is most likely your best bet, if you backup your iPhone data frequently.
  5. 5
    Choose from the list of iTunes backup files. It should say the name of the device, the date and the time of the previous backup.
  6. 6
    Click on the backup of your choice and select "Scan." The data recovery software will search the backup file for data.
  7. 7
    Go to the "Messages" section of the screen when the scan is complete.
  8. 8
    Search for the message you deleted.
    • If you are having trouble finding the message, choose the option to only show deleted messages.
    • If you are unable to find the data on the backup, you will want to plug in your iPhone and follow the prompts to scan all the data on your phone with the data recovery software. Then, you can select deleted messages and recover them by saving them to your computer.
  9. 9
    Press the "Recover" button when you have found it. This will save the message to your computer, so that you can access it in the future.
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EditThings You'll Need

  • iTunes backup files
  • Data recovery software
  • USB cable
  • iPhone cable

EditSources and Citations

Article Info

Categories: Smartphones

Recent edits by: Steve, Angel Cole, Edward Newmen

In other languages:

Español: Cómo recuperar mensajes de texto eliminados, Italiano: Come Recuperare un SMS Cancellato, Português: Como Recuperar Mensagens Deletadas, 中文: 恢复被删除的手机短信, Deutsch: Gelöschte SMS zurückholen, Русский: восстановить удаленные сообщения, Français: Comment récupérer des textos supprimés, Bahasa Indonesia: Memulihkan Teks yang Dihapus

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