Can you recover old deleted text messages from an iPhone?
Can you recover text messages that were deleted months ago on an iPhone?
It’s unlikely. For most iPhones, the answer is no.
Here’s why...
Deleted text messages are not recoverable for iPhones that have iOS versions 12, 13, or 14. (We’ll explain why later.) Even though iOS 12 was not released until 2018, every iPhone since the iPhone 5s supports it. That means that most every iPhone since the iPhone 5s released in 2013) will likely have iOS 12 or later installed, since iPhones continually push users to update their iOS to the latest version possible.
As such, recovery of deleted text messages will be very unlikely for most iPhones.
However, in the off-chance that deleted text messages still exist, we’ll show you where to find them. (There are three places to look, and your iPhone is just one of them.)
Are deleted iPhone text messages retrievable? Probably not.
Recovering deleted text messages is a common request for mobile device examiners and digital forensic analysts.
The reason for the request usually goes something like this…
You’re an attorney representing an employee in a sexual harassment case that happened months or maybe even years ago. The incriminating photos and text messages were deleted. But if you had them, you would be able to use them as evidence in your court case. You need to know if you can get them back.
Are they retrievable? Probably not.
Recovering text messages that were sent months or years ago has become almost impossible.
But in the unlikely event that deleted text messages do exist, here are a few places you might be able to find them.
3 places to look for deleted iPhone text messages
iPhone device of the person who sent or received the text message
iTunes backups
iCloud backups
Can you retrieve deleted text messages from an iPhone device?
It’s unlikely. But let’s talk about when it may and may not be possible.
The most obvious place to look for deleted text messages is the iPhone itself. Forensic analysts used to be able to extract deleted text messages from earlier iPhone models. However newer versions of iOS, from iOS 12 on, no longer store any deleted text messages.
And since most iPhones have iOS 12 or later, that means that most iPhones no longer store any deleted text messages,
Are you wondering whether your iPhone has iOS 12 or later?
To look up your iOS version, go to settings > general > about. The iOS is listed as the software version.
iOS 12 was released in 2018 with iPhone XS and iPhone XR, but older iPhone models also support it. In fact, the oldest iPhone model that supports iOS 12 is the iPhone 5s, which was released in 2013.
Since most users accept the automatic iOS updates received from Apple, most iPhones will likely have already been updated to iOS 12 or later. This includes the iPhone 5s, 6, 6 Plus, 6s, SE, 7, 8, and X. None of these iPhone models came with iOS 12 out of the box, but they all should have automatically updated to iOS 12 or later. The iPhone models XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max all came with iOS 12 or later. For these phones, recovery of deleted text messages was never possible.
(If you’re wondering what other types of deleted data can and cannot be recovered, Elcomsoft provides an excellent technical explanation.)
To understand why recovering deleted text messages in iOS 12 and later is impossible, it’s helpful to know how an iPhone stores text messages.
How does an iPhone store text messages?
iPhones’ text messages are stored in an SQLite Database. The database is basically an expandable container that grows in size depending on how many messages are saved on the phone. When a message is deleted, beginning with iOS12 the data is physically zeroed out within the database so no recovery is possible. This happens almost immediately after a text message is deleted.
Prior to iOS 12, deleted messages could be recovered. But with iOS 12, 13, or 14, recovering any deleted text messages is not possible.
If you can’t find the deleted text messages you’re looking for from an iPhone, it’s not surprising. But there are two other (unlikely) places you can look.
Can you retrieve deleted text messages from an iTunes backup?
Not usually. But let’s talk about when it may and may not be possible.
An iTunes backup is an exact copy of your device at the time of the backup. It’s typically stored on a local computer, and it provides a snapshot of your phone in time.
An iTunes backup includes any text messages that were on the device at the time of the backup (even if those text messages were later deleted).
If your iTunes backup was made with iOS 11 or earlier, you might even have access to previously deleted text messages. But it’s unlikely to have a backup with iOS 11 or earlier.
iTunes only saves the most recent backup.
So unless you have access to earlier backups, you probably won’t find the deleted text messages you’re looking for.
Is it possible to access previous iTunes backups?
The only way to access earlier iTunes backups would be if you had previously archived them manually on your machine (not a common practice) or if you had a machine backup solution, like Time Machine on a Mac, that had backed up your data automatically at specified times.
Otherwise, any previous iTunes backups would have been overwritten with a newer backup.
If you still can’t find the deleted text messages you’re looking for, it’s not surprising. But there is one more possible place you can look.
Can you retrieve deleted text messages from an iCloud backup?
Probably not. Most of your messages may not even be located in the iCloud backup.
Beginning with iOS 11.4, iMessages by default are stored directly in iCloud under the user’s Apple ID. This synchronization of iMessages to the iCloud is separate from the iCloud backups, and happens almost instantly with an internet connection. This mechanism allows iMessages to be automatically synced across all devices signed in under the user’s Apple ID.
For reference, iMessages are text messages sent between two iPhones, highlighted in blue; messages sent to Android phones are saved as standard SMS messages, highlighted in green.
Therefore, deleted iMessages from an iPhone are typically going to be immediately removed from the iCloud and therefore across all synced devices.
Are there any circumstances where you can recover messages from the iCloud?
Only in very, very limited cases.
First, you would have to have an existing iCloud backup that was created prior to the messages being deleted. Next these would have to be either SMS messages (highlighted in green, sent to an Android phone) or iMessages (highlighted in blue) sent from an iPhone but where iCloud synchronization has been manually disabled (not very likely). Then, with special forensic tools, it may be possible to download the prior messages from the archived iCloud backup, which would include the ones that were later deleted after this backup was made.
Is it even possible to access previous iCloud backups?
Not very likely, since iCloud saves only the most recent backup. But there are instances where multiple iCloud backups can be found. This is the case for a person who has multiple iCloud accounts. Even though only one apple ID is associated with an iPhone at any given time, there can be multiple iCloud accounts associated with a single Apple ID. If that sounds confusing, it’s because it is. One iPhone, one Apple ID, multiple iCloud accounts.
Are you looking for deleted text messages? Here’s what to do next.
Before you start trying to recover your deleted text messages, ask yourselves these questions:
What iOS version does my iPhone have? Remember, it’s impossible to recover deleted text messages from an iPhone with iOS 12 or later.
Do any iTunes backups exist that were saved when the text messages were still on the phone or that were made with iOS 11 or earlier?
Do any iCloud backups exist that were saved when the text messages were still on the phone, and you are looking for standard SMS text messages (or iMessages that were not synced to iCloud)?
When you need to be 100% certain whether your deleted text messages can or can not be recovered, call Digital Closure. We can prepare a court-ready report on the retrieval or inability to retrieve deleted text messages.
And as a certified mobile device examiner, we know exactly what to look for and where to find it. If any evidence exists on a phone or computer, we’ll find it. That’s our promise to you.
