Tech tip: How to get back a text you deleted

By Kim Komando

July 21, 2022

© Fizkes | Dreamstime.com

A while ago, a widow called Kim’s radio show with a heart-wrenching story. She had accidentally deleted texts she and her late husband sent each other. She asked Kim if there was any way to get back deleted texts.

Luckily, the answer was yes. Kim helped the caller so she could again read old text threads when she missed her husband. Here are apps for couples to chat, share photos and leave love notes.

If you’re ever in a similar situation, you might find yourself in a panic. It’s too easy to delete important text messages or entire threads accidentally. Keep reading for a few handy ways to recover deleted text messages on Android or iPhone.

A quick overview before we dive in

We’re dividing this guide into two overarching sections: one for Android and one for iPhone. However, before you start checking out the nitty-gritty, here are a few tips.

You can always contact your phone carrier if all else fails. Success isn’t guaranteed, but it’s worth a shot. If you’re lucky, your carrier may restore deleted messages for you.

The key to restoring deleted text messages is backing up your phone

Once you realize you deleted important messages, your heart might sink. But if you turned on iCloud for your iPhone or backed up your Android to your Google account, you can restore an older version of your phone when needed. This will get your text messages back.

There’s a huge caveat you need to keep in mind, though. Restoring your phone to a previous backup means you lose data from after that backup. You can also check with the person you texted to see if they can send you a screenshot of the deleted text.

If your friend and your phone carrier can’t help, here’s the best way to recover deleted text messages on an Android or an iPhone in 2022.

How to get back deleted texts on Android

You can set your phone to back up everything automatically. That way, you won’t have to manually tell it to back up text messages. It’s pretty easy:

1. First, head to Settings.
2. Tap Google > Backup > Back up now.

If you’ve never backed up your Android, the steps will be slightly different: Settings > Google > Backup by Google One. Follow the onscreen instructions, then select Back up now.

Once your phone starts backing up everything, you have a failsafe in case you accidentally delete important messages.

Want to recover deleted texts on an Android? Back up your phone; the older version may contain your deleted texts. Do this by heading to Settings > Accounts and backup > Backup and restore.

Tap your Google account to ensure there’s a Google Drive backup you made before deleting the text messages. If so, you can restore the backup to retrieve those deleted messages.

How to get back deleted texts on iPhone

You can recover deleted texts on iPhone by restoring a backup from iCloud. Hopefully, you already had it! It’s a great way to save your Apple device from an unexpected disaster.

If you already use Apple’s iCloud to back up your phone, you can use its backup to retrieve deleted text messages. Remember: You’re resetting your iPhone to old settings, which could lead to a few issues. If you’re willing to risk it, follow these steps to see if you have a backup available:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select your Apple ID.
3. Tap iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.

If you have a backup, your screen will look something like this:

Next, follow these steps to use that backup to restore your phone:

1. Head to Settings > General > Reset.
2. Select Erase All Content and Settings.
3. Tap Restore from iCloud Backup.
4. Sign in with your Apple ID and tap Choose backup.

Your phone will revert to its former version. Now you can start looking through old texts.

This method won’t work if you’ve never backed up your iPhone on iCloud. Save your future self from losing texts by turning on iCloud and iCloud Backup now.

Turn on iCloud and iCloud Backup

To retrieve deleted texts on an iPhone, you must turn on iCloud Drive and iCloud Backup. We’ll tell you how to enable Drive first.

1. Turn on iCloud Drive by going to Settings.
2. Then, select your Apple ID.
3. After that, tap iCloud.
4. Lastly, turn on iCloud Drive.

Here’s what the steps will look like:

After that, it’s time to turn on iCloud Backup. Do this by opening Settings > Selecting your Apple ID > tapping iCloud and selecting iCloud Backup.

Now that you set yourself up for success, you can get back deleted texts on your iPhone by following the steps detailed above. Remember, go back to the iCloud Backup section and restore to a recent backup.

NOTE: You will lose all new data after that backup. Are those deleted texts worth it? Here’s how to restore an older phone version from iCloud.

Follow these steps to restore your phone after an iCloud backup

After backing up your device, you’ll see a Hello screen. Follow the onscreen steps until you see Apps & Data. From there, tap Restore from iCloud Backup.

Then, sign in with your Apple ID and choose a backup you’d like to revert to. You can restore your apps and purchases, but you must sign in first. Make sure to connect to your Wi-Fi the whole time.

Have you already set up your device? If so, you must erase it before you can restore your backup. Follow this easy Apple guide to get the job done.

Now that you know how to get back deleted texts, check out these similar tips

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Tags: Android, Apple, Apple iCloud, Apple iPhone, backup, Google, smartphones, text messages