How to Recover Deleted Messages on iPhone

Recovering deleted messages on iPhone can be difficult, but not impossible. If you’ve backed up to iTunes or iCloud before, you can use these tools. If not, you need a middleware to recover deleted messages on iPhone to computer. Read the following tutorial and learn each method thoroughly.

Table of Contents

Use iTunes Backup

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Disable auto-sync on iTunes. Open iTunes on your computer. Prevent the program from automatically syncing with iPhone by going to Edit , selecting Settings . After the new window appears, select Devices and check the box next to “Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically”. .

If you don’t disable auto-sync, iPhone and iTunes will start syncing as soon as you connect your phone to your computer. If this happens, it could affect the recovery backups.

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Connect iPhone to computer. Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to the computer. Wait a while for the computer to recognize the new device before performing the next step.

Usually, any iPhone purchased brand new or purchased from a trusted store will always have a USB cable included. This cable is the same as the charging cable. Remove the charger to plug it into the computer.

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Restore iPhone from backup. The easiest way to do this is to go to File in iTunes and select Devices . From here, select the “Restore from Back up” item. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Alternatively, you can open your iPhone’s Summary Tab by clicking the device button in the upper-right corner of the screen or selecting the View menu and then selecting Show Sidebar . (when the sidebar appears, select iPhone under “Devices”.) Once the Summary tab is open, click the “Restore Backup” button on iTunes.
If you’re using iTunes version 10.7 or earlier, right-click or Ctrl-click the device that appears in the sidebar and select “Restore from Backup” on the menu that appears.
Note that you can only do it this way if you’ve backed up your iPhone to iTunes before.

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Allow iPhone to download content. This process may take several minutes. Once done, the iPhone has been restored to the old version.

Note that doing it this way will erase any data added to your iPhone after the previous backup.

Use iCloud

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Erase data on iPhone. You access the Settings menu (Settings) and select the item General (General). From here, select Reset and Erase All Content and Settings .

This will erase all content on iPhone. It will be replaced with an iCloud backup. Any data saved on iPhone after the previous backup is deleted.

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Select the “Restore from iCloud Backup” item. After erasing all iPhone content, the device will ask to be reset as new or restored from a previous backup. At this screen, select “Restore from iCloud Backup”.

You will be asked to enter your Apple ID and password. Do so to proceed with the restore process.
Note that this only works if you have previously backed up your iPhone to iCloud.

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Allow iPhone to download content. The iPhone will automatically restart and the data backed up on the iPhone will be restored to the device. This process can take several minutes.

The account setup data will be restored first. Then songs, TV shows, apps, paid books, Camera Rpl and other content (including messages) are restored.
Let iPhone connect to a power source during the restore process. Do this to save battery life.
You may have to enter your Apple ID and password a few times when the account is reactivated.
Check if the restore is complete by going to Settings and selecting iCloud . From here, select Storage and Backup .

Using Middleware

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Download, install and launch data recovery software. Search for iPhone data recovery software online and visit the manufacturer’s website to download it. After downloading the installation file, run the file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the software.

Launch new software after installation.
Note that this is the only way if you have never done an iPhone backup before.
There is a lot of software, but most of them require a fee to download the full version. However, you can download a trial version.

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Connect iPhone to computer. Use a USB cable to connect iPhone to the computer. Make sure the computer can recognize the new device before moving on to the next step.

If you bought the machine new or purchased from a trusted store, the included accessory will have a USB cable. This cable may be the same as the charging cable. If it is, remove the wall charger to connect to the computer.

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Switch iPhone to DFU mode. DFU (Device Firmware Updater) mode will shut down the device completely in preparation for data recovery.

Hold down the “Home” button and the “Power” button on the device at the same time. You need to hold for about 10 seconds.
Release the “Power” button but continue to hold the “Home” button for another 10 seconds. Once done, the Apple screen icon will appear.

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Scan iPhone. Some data recovery software will scan the machine immediately. If this does not happen, you can manually scan the machine by pressing the “Start Scan” button on the computer section.

Some software only scans messages. Others will scan all data.
Even if you delete messages from your iPhone, they won’t go away completely. This only erases data access, but the actual data remains dormant on your device. These software can scan your iPhone, find lost data and allow you to access them.
Note that this process can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the amount of data to be screened.

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Select and recover deleted messages. The data recovery software on the computer will generate a list of deleted messages found on the machine. Check the dialog box for the messages you want to recover, after you’ve made your selections, click the “Recover” button in the bottom corner of the screen.

After pressing the button, you will be asked to choose a data recovery location on your computer. You cannot restore data directly to iPhone.
Most software allows you to preview each message before recovering, so you can choose the right message you need.

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Allow the computer to download the content. After a few minutes, the software will transfer the message from the iPhone to the specified location on the computer. You can view the messages.

Once done, disconnect iPhone and computer. Exit DFU mode by holding the “Home” button and the “Power” button at the same time until the Apple logo appears.

Using a Combination of Middleware and iTunes Backup

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Download, install, and launch data recovery software. You can search online. After selecting the software, visit the manufacturer’s website to download the installation file to your device. Run the file and follow the instructions to install the software on your computer.

Note that most recovery software works independently of iTunes backup, but can still be combined with each other.
Start the software on the computer after it has been installed.
There is a lot of software out there, but most of it requires paying for the full version. You can download a trial version.

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Scan iPhone backup files. After starting the data recovery software, it will immediately detect the iTunes backup files on the computer corresponding to the iPhone. Select the file and click the “Scan” or “Start Scan” button on the interface.

You need to understand that this only works if you have previously backed up to iTunes on your computer.
Note that these software can detect the latest iTunes backup files from the computer. You do not need to connect your iPhone to the computer.
If you find multiple backup files, make sure you choose the right one.

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Select and recover deleted messages. After scanning, the software will display a window containing the recovered data found. Check the box next to the message you want to recover and then select the “Recover” button.

After selecting this button, you will be asked to select a location on your computer to copy the data.
The retrieved data may contain only messages, or both messages and other data.
You can preview the message before choosing to recover.

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Allows downloading content to the device. Once done, the selected messages will be restored with the message body intact and other specific information, such as the sender’s phone number and the date it was sent.

Restore a contact using the Messages app

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Select the message icon.

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After starting the application, select the ‘New message’ icon.

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In the ‘New message’ window, under ‘To’ type the name of the deleted contact from the phonebook.

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Most contacts will appear even if they are not in the phonebook.

Steps

You should back up your iPhone to iTunes periodically so that you can easily access old data if data loss or deletion occurs.

Things you need

Iphone
USB cable
Computer with iTunes installed (All iPhone data recovery software needs to have iTunes installed in order to receive iPhone or other iOS devices. Although you can’t run iTunes at the same time as that software.)
Data recovery software

Steps

Use iTunes Backup

Use iCloud

Using Middleware

Using a Combination of Middleware and iTunes Backup

Restore a contact using the Messages app

Steps

Things you need

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