How to Recover Deleted Text Messages on Android
We’ve all been here before. We’ve all accidentally deleted an important text at some point. Gloria from Chepachet, Rhode Island reached out to us with this question:
“I accidentally deleted a text message. How can I restore them to my Android phone?”
We’re sorry you accidentally deleted a text message. The ability to restore depends on several factors, including your phone model, whether a backup was created, and the specific messaging app you use. Here are some general methods you can try. (If you are an iPhone user, follow these tips.)
Get security alerts and expert tips – sign up for Kurt’s newsletter – the Cyberguy Report – here
A man texting on his cell phone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Check if the message has been archived (Google Messages)
If you have an Android-based phone or a Google account, you can use Google Messages as your primary text messaging platform. How to check if your message has been archived in Google Messages.
SSettings may vary depending on the manufacturer of your Android phone.
- Open that Google News app
- Tap your Profile icon next to the search icon
- Choose Archived
- Long press the news you want to retrieve
- Tap Unarchive button in the top right corner
Google News app (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
ENABLE AUTOMATIC REPLY FOR TEXT MESSAGES ON ANDROID
Check Trash (Samsung Messages)
SSettings may vary depending on the manufacturer of your Android phone.
If you use a Samsung-based smartphone, your text messages can be saved in Samsung operating systems Trash for up to 30 days. If you’re using a Samsung smartphone, you can check if your messages are there using the built-in Trash app as follows:
- Open that News app
- Tap Three-point menu in the top right corner
- Choose the one Trash
- Choose the one Deleted text messages you want to retrieve
- Knock Restore to add them back to your message list
Samsung Messages app (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
GET QUICK ACCESS TO YOUR FAVORITE APPS WITH SAMSUNG GALAXY’S EDGE PANELS
Use a third-party recovery app
If you don’t have a backup and your messages are permanently deleted, you may still have the option to recover them using a third-party Android data recovery app. Kurt’s tips for data recovery software can be found here. Different apps have different functions. Therefore, pay close attention to which third-party recovery solution is right for your needs.
Restore from a backup
Google Drive on Android (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
If you have backed up your phone to Google Drive, you may be able to restore your backup to recover the deleted text messages. Please note that restoring a backup may overwrite the existing data on your phone. To check if you have a Google Drive backup for your smartphone:
SSettings may vary depending on the manufacturer of your Android phone.
- Open Google Drive on your smartphone or visit drive.google.com.
- On Google Drive, select this storage option in the bottom left corner.
- Tap Backups to view all Android backups attached to your Google Drive.
7 things Google just announced that are worth keeping an eye on
Kurt’s most important findings
Gloria, hopefully we were able to help you recover the missing Android message. It is always a good idea to back up your data regularly to prevent future data loss. If you have an Android smartphone, I highly recommend using Google Drive to back up your phone; This way you can access the backup at any time using your Google account. If you don’t find your deleted messages in your phone’s Trash or Recycle Bin, don’t panic. You can most likely still recover deleted data using a third-party program, but check the program’s features before paying.
Have you ever experienced significant data loss? What lessons did you learn from this experience? Let us know by writing to us Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report newsletter at Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
Ask Kurt a question or tell us what stories you’d like us to cover.
Follow Kurt on his social channels:
Answers to the most frequently asked CyberGuy questions:
New from Kurt:
Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
