Sometimes our fingers move faster than our minds, and we delete a text message before we realize the implications. You could be trying to wipe data before you sell your phone, freeing up storage space, or simply thinking you don’t need that particular message anymore.
Whether you want the text message back for sentimental, work, or even legal reasons, don’t fret – there are ways to recover deleted text messages! Your first step should always be to stop using your phone as soon as you discover you deleted a text message. Either put it in airplane mode or turn it off completely.
Even when you delete data from your phone, data remains on it unless it's overwritten. That’s why restoring your phone to factory settings is one of the three major steps to complete before you sell your phone. While you’ll want to be sure to wipe your phone before you sell it, the fact that the data isn’t lost until you wipe it helps to recover deleted text messages.
Deleted text message recovery can be challenging but possible. Some of the options can cause unfortunate side effects, but if retrieving the text message is your ultimate goal, it may be worth it.
After you have turned your phone to airplane mode or turned it off, you’ll have the best luck if you’ve planned ahead and backed up your phone using Google Drive. If your Android phone is backed up, you can:
While you’ll be able to retrieve your lost text message, you will need to reset your phone to factory settings and then restore the entire backup. Unfortunately, you’ll lose any data created after the backup you’re restoring.
Another option is to install a data recovery program. The most effective choices are those that need to be installed on your PC or Mac rather than those claiming to recover data from your Android itself.
There are good free options such as DMDE Free Edition, Stellar Free Data Recovery Software, and Undelete My Files Pro. There are also great paid options including Android Data Recovery, Dr. Fone, and Tenorshare UltData for Android.
To use this software, you’ll need to allow your phone and computer to work together. The steps to do so can vary among Android devices, so search how to enable USB Debugging for your own device.
After you do this, you can follow the instructions for running the recovery software.
Consider contacting your phone carrier to see if they can recover the text. Or if it’s appropriate, contact the people you texted to find out if they still have the text message. You could even contact the phone manufacturer to see if they have any ideas for recovering a deleted text message.
Deleting an important text can be a stressful situation, but with the right amount of knowledge and luck, you can have success with retrieving your lost text message.
Were you deleting old text to prepare your phone for resale? If so, a Phonecheck Device History Report is the best way to build trust with buyers, and potentially increase the resale value of your phone. Transact in full transparency with a report based on your phone’s unique IMEI number, to include repair history, blacklist checks, warranty status, and much more.
