Messages app is one of the most frequently used apps on our iPhones. It contains important text messages and conversations about our life, work, and so on. Is there any way to recover text messages if we delete them accidentally when we free up the space, or if there is a system crash that causes all messages lost when we upgrade the system? Are they really gone? What can we do if we haven’t enabled the backup in advance?
Actually, the deleted messages can be retrieved in most cases. And there are many available ways given online to help get them back. If you're in a hurry to recover these unbacked-up messages but don't want to spend time searching the methods one by one, this guide is for you.
We've concluded three valuable ways and teach you how to recover deleted messages on iPhone without backup step by step. Read it and find the one that caters to you.
Can I Really Retrieve Deleted Messages on iPhone Without Backup?
Yes. Messages that have been deleted can also be restored. Generally, the preferred way is to restore the deleted messages on iPhone from iCloud or iTunes Backup. This may not work, however, if you didn't enable the iCloud Backup in advance, or if you don't want to erase your iPhone to factory settings. Don't worry, you can still recover the deleted messages through the following ways:
- Recover from Messages App: In September, Apple updated iOS 16, which newly introduced the "Recently Deleted" feature to the Messages app. It's a feature that was previously available only in the Photos app. Therefore, if you have an iPhone with the supported system, you can retrieve deleted messages through this method.
- Recover from iCloud Messages: Though you may not have iCloud Backup turned on before, you can also easily get the conversations with the messages back as long as you enable iCloud Messages. It's different from iCloud Backup. In this way, you don’t need to erase all content and settings on the iPhone.
- Recover with Third-Party Software: The third way is to use third-party software to get the conversations back. So, if you can't find lost messages in "Recently Deleted", this way is there for you. It should be your first choice if you’re in a hurry to recover text messages without backup.
Recover Deleted Messages on iPhone with Recently Deleted Feature
The "Recently Deleted" in Messages is an iPhone update feature, which helps users quickly retrieve lost messages and conversations. If you want to recover the deleted messages this way, you need a device with iOS 16 or later.
When it comes to the recovery steps, they are straightforward and similar to the photo recovery from the "Recently Deleted" album in the Photos app. Now, let's see how to recover deleted messages with this feature.
Step 1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone, and tap "Edit" in the upper-left corner. This button can also be "Filter" if you enable the "Filter Unknown Senders" feature. Then tap "Show Recently Deleted" from the given options.
Step 2. Then you'll see all messages deleted in the past 30 to 40 days. Select the one you want to restore and tap "Recover". And then tap "Done" to get your conversations back.
Recover Deleted iPhone Messages from iCloud Messages
As I mentioned above, it doesn't matter if you didn't have iCloud Backup. You can also recover deleted iPhone messages from iCloud Messages as long as you enable this single feature. Once you turn on it, messages will sync among all iOS devices when you logged in to the same Apple ID. So, if you want to recover your deleted iPhone messages, this is also a convenient way. And its recovery steps are easy to follow.
Step 1. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone. Then tap your Apple ID name and go to iCloud.
Step 2. Since you've enabled iCloud Messages, you'll see the Messages button is turned on. Now, tap the Messages icon to switch it off, click the "Disable and Download Messages" option and turn it on again. This is to help you download the most recent versions of those messages straight from iCloud right to your iPhone.
Step 3. Now, open your Messages app, and you'll see all your messages come back. Pay attention that this works only when you have used iCloud for messages before.
Recover Deleted Messages on iPhone with FonePaw Software [No Backup]
The third recommended way is to use third-party software. The one that we're going to introduce for you is FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery. It's one of the best iPhone Data Recovery software, which allows you to easily and successfully recover deleted messages when you have no backup in advance.
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Due to its intuitive UI, versatile features, and speedy performance, FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery stands out from other recovery software. With it, you can retrieve over 30 types of files easily before they are overwritten, such as Photos, Videos, Messages, Contacts, Audio, and so forth. No matter what makes you lose your files, and no matter whether you have the backup in advance or not, FonePaw is versatile enough to get you out of the problem in simple steps.
It actually provides three modes that can recover permanently deleted files from iPhone, iTunes, or iCloud. So, if you have no backup, recovering data from iPhone directly should be your option. Though it’s an app with multiple features, it's easy to use. Here is how to recover deleted messages on iPhone without backup with FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery.
Tip:
- It should be noted that deleted text messages may be overwritten by new data at any time, and once overwritten, they can never be retrieved. Therefore, to avoid this situation, you’d better restore them as soon as possible.
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Step 1. Install FonePaw and connect your iPhone
Download and run FonePaw on your computer. And connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable. When the connection is done, choose the mode of "Recovery from iOS Device" and click on the "Smart Scan" button.
Step 2. Scan the data and check the result
The files and data will be scanned and analyzed. The waiting time depends on how many files and data you have. When it's finished, you can check the detailed information from the left list.
Step 3. Choose the messages to recover
Go to the "Messages" category, you can see both existing and deleted messages. Click on the filter box at the middle top of the screen and choose show deleted content only. Then you can choose the text messages you want to restore and click the "Recover" icon.
Step 4. Select the output location on your computer
Choose the folder where you want to save the recovered messages and click "Recover" to get them back.
Tip: How to Selectively Recover Deleted Messages on iPhone from iTunes/iCloud Backup
Aside from the no-backup recovery, you can also use FonePaw to restore the deleted messages when you have a backup but don’t want to erase all the data to the factory setting.
Generally, all current data on your iPhone will be erased when you use the official ways to restore your iPhone from backups .But FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery allows you to view what is it your iTunes or iCloud backup, and then easily select and get the text messages you want back.
Final Words
Deleted text messages and other files can be easily recovered from iCloud or iTunes if you have the backup in advance. More often, however, messages may be lost when you have no backup. This post shows you how to recover deleted messages on your iPhone without backup quickly and effectively.
If your operating system is iOS 16 or later, you can use the new feature “Recently Deleted" in the Messages app to restore them. You can also download them from iCloud Messages if you've turned on iCloud Messages. If the previous two situations do not work for you, then the most reliable way is to get them back through third-party software. FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery is a high-grade app, with which you can recover a variety of files from iPhone, iCloud, and iTunes, easily with a high recovery rate.
