Learn how to recover permanently deleted text messages on iPhone with simple steps. Retrieve lost messages quickly using backups or recovery tools.
Jason Kim 06/05/2025
Gbyte recovers whatever data you lost.
Easy and fast.
Accidentally deleting important text messages can be a real pain, especially when they seem to be gone forever. Whether it's a business conversation, sentimental chat, or crucial evidence, long text messages without backup feel like a dead end. But there are also some available ways to recover your deleted text messages in this post. Keep reading to learn the best recovery methods!
The short answer is yes, it's possible. However, the success rate depends on your device type, backup settings, and how quickly you act. In some cases, deleted messages aren't removed from your iPhone device permanently. They may still exist in your device's internal storage, marked as free space. If they aren't overwritten by the new data, you still have a chance to recover the deleted message.
Did you know? iPhone keeps deleted messages for up to 40 days, not just 30 days. If your texts were recently deleted, follow these steps to restore them instantly:
Here we take the Messages filters of iOS 16 to learn how to recover permanently deleted text messages on iPhone.
Open Messages → Tap "Edit" or "Filters" and select "Show Recently Deleted."
Choose the messages you want. → Tap "Recover."
(Note: Deleted photos on iPhone are only kept for 30 days, so act fast for those.)
If you don’t have a backup, don’t lose hope—there are still ways to recover your lost text messages. Even if they’ve been permanently deleted from your device, specialized recovery tools can scan your iPhone’s storage to retrieve them.
One of the most effective and user-friendly iOS recovery tools available is Gbyte Recovery. This powerful software is designed to dig deep into your device’s storage, searching for residual data that may still exist even after deletion.
✔ 35+ Data Types Supported – Retrieve lost messages, photos, WhatsApp/Instagram/Snapchat chats, and more.
✔ No Backup needed – Advanced deep scan technology recovers data even without backups (high success rate).
✔ Preview Before Recovery – Selectively restore only what you need.
✔ User-Friendly – Simple interface, perfect for non-tech-savvy users.
Visit the official Gbyte Recovery website and download the software
Connect Your Device by signing in with your Apple ID
Choose the “Messages” category and start a deep scan.
Once the scan completes, you can preview the deleted messages. Then select the ones you want to recover and click “Restore.”
This method is ideal for users searching for how to recover permanently deleted text messages without backup, offering a reliable, quick, and effective solution.
If you regularly back up data to iCloud, you might be lucky. Apple’s iCloud service often stores messages as part of the overall phone backup.
Check Backup Availability:
Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.
Select your device and check if the backup includes Messages.
Reset Your iPhone:
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.
Confirm and reset the device. This step will delete all current data, so ensure you've backed up what you want to keep.
Restore from iCloud Backup:
When setting up the device, choose Restore from iCloud Backup and select the most relevant backup date—ideally one that was created before the messages were deleted.
This method is effective if you have a recent iCloud backup, but not everyone enables message backups. That’s when you need alternatives.
If you've previously synced your iPhone with iTunes on a computer, there's a good chance your deleted text messages are saved in an older backup. This method works especially well when iCloud wasn't enabled, but local backups were created via iTunes. This is another effective way to recover permanently deleted text messages on your iPhone, especially for those who regularly back up their devices the traditional way.
These are the detailed steps for you.
Launch iTunes on the computer you used to back up your iPhone. If you're on macOS Catalina or later, open Finder instead.
Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to the computer, and trust the computer if prompted on your device.
In iTunes or Finder, select your iPhone device when it appears.
Choose Restore Backup from the Summary panel.
Choose the backup created before you delete the text messages. Click Restore and wait for the process to complete.
Once the restore is finished, open the Messages app and review your restored texts.
⚠️ Note: This method replaces the current data on your iPhone with the selected backup. Make sure to save important current data elsewhere before proceeding.
For users who prefer traditional backup methods, iTunes offers a secure and offline way to recover permanently deleted text messages on iPhone—as long as backups were made beforehand.
Yes, but the longer you wait, the lower the chances. It's best to attempt recovery immediately to avoid data being overwritten.
Yes. Gbyte Recovery is designed with data security in mind and is trusted by users globally.
Only if you have a backup stored on iCloud that includes messages; otherwise, resetting won’t help.
Losing important text messages doesn’t have to be permanent. Whether you’re on an an iOS device, there are multiple paths you can take depending on whether you have a backup. And if you don’t, tools like Gbyte Recovery provide a trustworthy way to recover permanently deleted text messages without backup.
So next time you find yourself asking how to retrieve deleted messages, remember—there are solutions out there, and many of them work surprisingly well.
