Recovering deleted text messages from an iPhone can be tricky, but with the right software it is possible. There are a few different options when it comes to iPhone text message recovery software that can help you get back deleted texts.
Why Would You Need to Recover Deleted iPhone Text Messages?
There are a few common reasons why someone might need to recover deleted text messages from their iPhone:
- Accidentally deleting important or sentimental texts
- iPhone issues like crashes, water damage, or software bugs causing message loss
- Needing to recover text evidence for legal reasons
Luckily if you act quickly, there are programs that can scan your iPhone and recover deleted texts so they aren’t lost forever.
How Does iPhone Text Message Recovery Software Work?
iPhone text recovery software works by scanning the memory on your iPhone to look for deleted data that hasn’t yet been overwritten. When you delete texts on your iPhone, they aren’t erased immediately. Instead, the space they were stored in is marked as available to write new data. This gives a window where recovery is possible.
Recovery software leverages this by searching the available memory for traces of deleted texts. As long as the space hasn’t been reused, the contents can often still be pulled and restored. However, the longer you wait, the higher chance this space gets overwritten with new data.
Factors That Affect Chances of Successful iPhone Text Recovery
There are a few key factors that will determine whether you can successfully recover deleted texts from an iPhone:
- How quickly you run recovery: The less time between deletion and running recovery software, the better. This minimizes chance of overwriting.
- Whether the phone has been synced: If you’ve done an iPhone sync to iCloud or iTunes since deletion, this can overwrite data.
- The recovery software itself: Better programs will provide better, faster scans to maximize recoverable data.
- Type of deletion: “Deleted” texts vs erased texts have different recoverability.
As a rule of thumb, your chances of recovery are very high within 24 hours, but risk dropping steadily after that initial period.
5 Best Software Options for Recovering Deleted iPhone Texts
Based on features, capabilities, effectiveness, and ease of use, below are the top 5 programs to use for recovering deleted iPhone text messages:
1. EaseUS MobiSaver
EaseUS MobiSaver is one of the most trusted and widely-used iPhone text recovery apps available. It enables you to scan your iPhone and extract deleted SMS/iMessages, attachments, and WhatsApp messages.
Key features:
- Recovers lost and deleted text messages and attachments
- Provides preview of recoverable data
- Retrieves up to 12 different data types from iPhone or iTunes backup
- Allows exporting texts to either PDF or CSV format
- Compatible with latest iPhone models and iOS versions
Overall, EaseUS provides an effective and easy-to-use iPhone text recovery solution.
2. Fonelab
Fonelab is another robust iOS data recovery program with specialized SMS recovery capabilities. It can recover lost and deleted texts, WhatsApp messages, and iMessages from iPhones, as well as iTunes and iCloud backups.
Key features:
- Recovers range of text message data types
- Allows previewing content before recovery
- Retrieves contacts, call logs, notes, photos
- iTunes backup password reset available
- Compatible with Windows and Mac
Fonelab offers reliable DIY text recovery for a variety of scenarios.
3. iMyFone iBypasser
iMyFone iBypasser provides user-friendly iPhone data recovery capabilities, including SMS message recovery. It can recover 40+ file types from iOS devices and backups.
Key features:
- Recovers lost and deleted text messages
- Preview function prior to recovery
- Flexibly restore data from iOS or iTunes backups
- Optimized for both Windows and Mac
With iBypasser, text recovery is straightforward and accessible.
4. Tenorshare UltData
For advanced iPhone users, Tenorshare UltData provides maximum flexibility and control for iOS data recovery. This includes recovering lost and deleted text messages.
Key features:
- Recovers 30+ data types including SMS and iMessages
- Option for selectively choosing texts to recover
- iTunes backup browser and viewer
- Support for multiple iPhone and iTunes backup types
- Wide device and iOS version compatibility
Tenorshare UltData excels when you need customizable, precise iPhone text recovery.
5. iSkysoft Toolbox
As an all-in-one iOS solution, iSkysoft Toolbox provides text message recovery among its many features. It can retrieve deleted or lost texts from local iPhone storage or iTunes backups.
Key features:
- Recovers lost and deleted texts
- Browse and preview content prior to recovery
- Optimized interface for Windows and Mac
- Also can repair iOS system issues
Within its full suite of tools, iSkysoft provides solid text message recovery capabilities.
Guide to Using iPhone Text Recovery Software
While the exact steps can vary between programs, the general process to recover deleted iPhone texts is:
- Select the text recovery software and install it on a computer your iPhone can connect to. EaseUS, Fonelab, and iMyFone have free trial versions available.
- Connect the iPhone to the computer and launch the recovery software. Grant access if prompted.
- Select the SMS recovery or scanned option. The software will scan the phone for deleted texts that can be recovered.
- Preview and select the texts you want to restore. The software often categorizes by contact.
- Export the recovered texts. You can save them to the computer, share via email or social media, print, etc.
The scanning process can take some time. Expect 1-2+ hours for a full deep scan depending on storage size and content. You can stop and resume if needed.
Tips for Maximizing Chances of iPhone Text Message Recovery
To optimize your chances of successfully recovering deleted texts from an iPhone, keep these tips in mind:
- Act quickly – run recovery software ASAP after deletion
- Avoid actions that overwrite data like syncing to iCloud
- Disable iMessage prior to scanning if possible
- Close all apps and minimize iPhone usage after deletion
- Use a trusted recovery app with positive reviews and results
- Scan using multiple programs for best results
- Let scans run fully – don’t interrupt mid-process
Can You Recover Permanently Deleted iPhone Texts?
If you have permanently deleted texts from your iPhone instead of just tapping delete, the recovery scenario changes a bit.
When you permanently erase texts, the data is immediately overwritten so standard scans likely won’t recover all content. However, portions can still be salvaged if you act quickly and methodically.
For permanently deleted data, your best chances come from:
- Running multiple deep scan recovery attempts
- Trying both iPhone and iTunes backup recovery
- Using advanced data recovery programs designed for this purpose
- Focusing on recovering contacts/senders vs full conversations
While no guarantees, taking a layered approach often yields at least some recoverable texts.
Can Deleted iPhone Texts be Recovered Without Software?
Without specialized software, your options for DIY iPhone text recovery are limited. However, there are a couple basic things you can try:
- Check Recently Deleted folder -Texts may still be there for up to 30 days
- Sync to iTunes – Syncing can pull and restore deleted texts in some cases
- iCloud backup – Restoring from a backup made before deletion
- Jailbreaking – Advanced manual scanning of data via jailbreak
But overall, third-party software offers the best capabilities for reliably recovering deleted iPhone text messages and attachments.
Can You Recover Deleted Texts Without the iPhone?
It is possible to recover deleted iPhone text messages even if you no longer have the phone itself. However, your options are more limited.
If you don’t have the phone but took an iTunes or iCloud backup prior to the deletion, you can recover texts from the backup. Connect the backup to a computer and use iOS data recovery software to scan and extract texts from the backup.
Without either the phone or a backup, however, chances of text recovery drop dramatically. At that point, you will likely need to contact your cell provider to request text records or confirmation.
Preventing Lost Texts in the Future
While text recovery provides a rescue option if you lose important messages, prevention is ideal. Follow these tips to avoid lost texts down the road:
- Back up your iPhone regularly via iTunes or iCloud
- Double-check before permanently deleting any texts
- Maintain adequate iCloud storage for automatic backups
- Sync your iPhone to iTunes periodically as a backup safeguard
- Avoid updating your iOS immediately after text deletion
- Enable iCloud Messages sync to store texts in the cloud automatically
Key Takeaways and Conclusion
Here are some key highlights on recovering deleted texts from iPhones:
- Acting quickly to run recovery software gives the best chance of retrieving deleted texts – ideally under 24 hours
- Leading text recovery apps like EaseUS MobiSaver provide a convenient DIY solution
- Syncing to iCloud or iTunes can overwrite deleted texts and lower recovery success
- Even permanently erased texts can sometimes be partially recovered with persistence
- Preventative measures like backups and delayed iOS updates are wise for avoiding data loss
Recovering deleted texts from an iPhone is often possible with the right approach and software. Just be sure to act fast before new data overwrites your deleted texts. Running reputable recovery software immediately after deletion gives you the best chance of getting back that lost data.