How to recover deleted SMS messages? This is a question that has likely crossed your mind after discovering that you've just deleted a message you particularly cared about. Usually, we brush it off, but sometimes deleted content has significant sentimental value or contains important information that might be useful, for example, when reporting a crime. It's therefore worth knowing how to recover deleted SMS messages from your phone.
Deleted SMS messages? Don't panic!
Accidentally deleted messages are not immediately erased from the device's memory. Initially, files are marked as unused and stop being displayed, but they remain saved on the phone. It's important that their space isn't taken up by new messages, overwriting the previous content. Until that happens, recovery is possible. More and more phones also use cloud backups, and this feature can help restore deleted messages. Above all, don't panic and first ensure that the deleted SMS messages are not overwritten by other content. To do this:
- Do not create any new messages
- Turn on airplane mode so your phone doesn't receive SMS
- Until you recover the content, try to use your phone as little as possible
See also: Mobile internet offer at Mobile Vikings
How to recover deleted SMS messages - Android
To recover deleted SMS messages from phones like Samsung, Huawei, or Xiaomi, you can use one of several available methods. Remember that there's no guarantee that any of them will be successful – their effectiveness depends on the time elapsed and the phone's usage after deleting the SMS. The less the phone was used after deleting the SMS, the more likely the recovery is to succeed.
Rooting your phone
The folder where messages are stored is hidden from the phone's user, even when connected to a computer. To view messages, you need administrator privileges, known as root. After rooting your phone, it's possible to find the relevant files yourself or by using PC software like EaseUS MobiSaver. The downside of this solution is that you need to root your phone *before* deleting the SMS.
See also: Android Rooting - How to do it?
Apps for recovering deleted SMS
There are many apps for Android phones focused on recovering deleted SMS. The problem with most of them is the ubiquitous ads, which are downloaded to the phone's memory, increasing the risk of overwriting the messages you want to recover. Therefore, it's important to use apps that have previously proven their high effectiveness, as evidenced by user ratings. We recommend trying SMS Backup & Restore.
See also: Recovering data and photos from Android - useful programs and apps
Google Drive backup
If you use Google backups, you won't find a better tool for restoring lost messages. Using Google Drive, you can save all your important phone settings and SMS messages in the cloud, which you can access at any time. The 25 GB you receive every month with the Mobile Vikings offer (not to mention unused GB that accumulate on your number) is more than enough to perform backups regularly. Similar to rooting your phone, you need to enable Google Drive synchronization *before* deleting SMS messages from your inbox. This is a good way to protect yourself from such accidents in the future. To create a Google backup:
- Launch the Google Drive app
- Click "Menu"
- Select "Backups"
Remember to select the option to back up SMS messages!
Learn how to take good photos with your smartphone!
How to recover deleted SMS messages - iPhone
A significant portion of Mobile Vikings users use Apple devices (and more importantly, they praise the ease of managing their account through the app!). iOS phones allow you to recover deleted SMS messages using iCloud or iTunes. Both of these methods rely on saving data backups in Apple's cloud, from which you can restore data using these services.
How to restore deleted SMS with iCloud?
This method requires erasing your phone's memory and restoring settings from the iCloud cloud. Remember that restoring data will overwrite existing data – all settings and messages saved on your phone since the backup version was created will be lost. To erase settings:
- Go to "Settings"
- Select "General"
- Choose "Reset"
- "Erase All Content and Settings"
Then, restore the iCloud backup using the "Restore from iCloud Backup" function after restarting your device.
See also: Transferring apps to a new phone
How to restore deleted SMS with iTunes?
Restoring deleted messages via iTunes is only possible if you regularly back up your data using this service. Similar to the iCloud method, using iTunes synchronization will overwrite any changes made after the backup was created. To restore an iTunes backup, connect your phone to your computer and launch the iTunes application. After adding your computer to trusted devices, use the "Summary" tab and the "Restore Backup" option in the Backup panel.
Deleted SMS recovered? Great! Now that the crisis is averted, you can focus on other matters. They don't have to be trivial, though. After all, you can also use your phone wisely.
See also: Premium SMS blocking
