How do i recover my deleted text messages on iphone

It might seem surprising, but if you ever wanted to recover a deleted text message on iOS 15, the only way to do it was to hope you had a backup with that specific text message and then restore your iPhone. 

It's an arduous process for what should be a simple task, but fortunately that's now been simplified with iOS 16.

Instead of dealing with restoring a backup, you can now find the deleted texts on your device and recover them back into the Messages app with just a few taps. The process is simple, but you need to know where to look before you can recover any deleted text messages. Here's how.

Don't miss: Use This Hidden iPhone Feature to Draw Perfectly on Your Screenshots

And if you're interested in other lesser-known features for the iPhone, here are 7 hidden iOS 16 features we were surprised to find and how to unlock your iPhone's hidden trackpad.

First find your deleted text messages

All of your deleted text messages can be found in the Messages app. To find your trashed messages, open Messages and tap the Filters option in the top left of your text threads. Here you can filter your text messages by known senders, unread messages and more. However, the option we want is Recently Deleted.

A list of your recently text messages will appear, showing phone numbers or contacts, number of messages and days left until permanent deletion. This will include both entire message threads and individual texts that are deleted. However, you'll be able to see (and recover) deleted messages only if they've been deleted in the last 30 days, so you have to act relatively fast.

Also, you can't see the actual messages themselves, so you'll have to recover them by recognizing the contact name or phone number. Once recovered, you'll then be able to read the texts.

Then recover your deleted text messages

If you want to recover a text message tap on the thread or message, so that it's selected, hit Recover on the bottom right and then tap Recover Message in the pop-up that appears. You can also recover all of your deleted text messages at once -- don't select any message and then just tap Recover All.

Your recovered text messages will appear in sequential order from when they were either sent or received, so you may have to scroll a bit through your existing texts to find them, especially if they're old and you have a great deal of new messages cluttering up your inbox.

Check out 4 annoying iOS 16 features you can fix right now and everything you need to know about the new battery percentage icon in the status bar.

Your phone holds your banking credentials, credit card info, and maybe even photos of identifying documents such as your driver’s license and passport. That’s why malware-laced apps can cause so much damage. Tap or click here for 13 dangerous apps disguised as helpful cleaning software you must immediately remove from your phone.

Your phone also holds important memories, like photos and videos of the people most precious to you. But, be honest, are you the one who always looks a little awkward in photos? Tap or click for a few simple steps to look better in pics.

Then there are your text messages. I recently heard from a woman on my national radio show who accidentally deleted texts from her late husband. She was heartbroken. Luckily, there are ways to recover deleted text messages on your iPhone.

The key to retrieving text messages

Your best bet for retrieving deleted messages is accessing an older backup of your phone. You can do that through iCloud for your iPhone.

There's a big caveat you need to keep in mind: Restoring your phone to a previous backup means you lose new data after that backup.

Now, it's worth saying that these steps don't always work. If you strike out, you can try contacting your phone carrier. It may be able to restore deleted messages for you.

Measure your heart rate, sell your stuff, and more:7 tech gems that make life easier and save you time

Have an iPhone? Turn on iCloud and iCloud Backup

On an iPhone, you have access to 5 GB of free storage. You will likely need to upgrade to an iCloud+ plan to store multiple backups and all your photos and videos. See pricing and tiers here.

To retrieve deleted texts on an iPhone, you must turn on iCloud Drive and iCloud Backup. Here’s how to enable Drive:

• Turn on iCloud Drive by going to Settings.

• Then, select your Apple ID.

• After that, tap iCloud.

• Lastly, turn on iCloud Drive.

After that, you need to turn on iCloud Backup. Do this by opening Settings > Selecting your Apple ID > tapping iCloud and selecting iCloud Backup.

NOTE: You will lose all new data after that backup. Make sure those deleted texts are worth it.

Well, that’s handy: 9 best iPhone calculator tricks you didn't know your phone was capable of

How to get back deleted texts on iPhone

Remember, when you access an old backup, you reset your iPhone to old settings. This could lead to a few issues. If you’re willing to risk it, follow these steps to see if you have a backup available:

• Go to Settings.

• Select your Apple ID.

• Tap iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.

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

• Head to Settings > General > Reset.

• Select Erase All Content and Settings.

• Tap Restore from iCloud Backup.

• 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.

Keep your tech-know going

My popular podcast is called “Kim Komando Today.” It’s a solid 30 minutes of tech news, tips, and callers with tech questions like you from all over the country. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts. For your convenience, hit the link below for a recent episode.

PODCAST PICK:Joe Rogan vs. TikTok, $400 million internet, scary legal trend

True or false: Judges are using Wikipedia to influence their legal decisions. Spoiler: It's already happening. Plus, are you tired of fumbling around with your television’s remote control? Here's how to use your phone or tablet as a TV remote. Also, Joe Rogan takes on TikTok, the U.S. pours $400 million into high-speed internet for rural areas and more unbelievable tech news.

Check out my podcast “Kim Komando Today” on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.

Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, “Komando.”

Learn about all the latest technology on the Kim Komando Show, the nation's largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today's digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website at Komando.com.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.