How to Retrieve Deleted Text Messages on iPhone

If you are wondering how to retrieve deleted text messages on iPhone, then you have landed on the right page. The following article will cover a few tips that will help you retrieve deleted text messages on iPhone.
We have all faced this situation more than once in our life. Just after we delete a text message, it turns out to be the most important message of our life. Or maybe you want to spy on a cheating spouse. You may even be worried about your kid and want to know about his/her whereabouts. There can be 'n' number of things that makes you wonder 'is there a way to retrieve deleted text messages on iPhone'. Yes, there is a sure way that will help you in retrieving lost text messages. Let us have a look at how to retrieve deleted text messages on iPhone.

How to Retrieve Deleted Text Messages on iPhone 3G

You have found a positive answer to the question 'is there a way to retrieve deleted text messages on iPhone' in the above paragraph. Let us now go into the details of how to retrieve deleted text messages on iPhone 3G. Many people often think that they will need to jailbreak their Apple iPhone to retrieve their deleted text messages. You no longer need to jailbreak your phone and a simple process will help you recover a few of your deleted text messages on the iPhone.

Before we learn how to recover deleted text messages on iPhone, you should keep in mind, you will be able to recover only those messages deleted since the last synchronization with iTunes. The messages deleted before the last synchronization will not be recovered. They are lost forever. Only those messages deleted after the last sync will be retrieved. This is because text messages remain on the phone after deletion. They remain as 'hidden' files and are marked to be deleted. When you sync your iPhone with iTunes, those marked as to be deleted are removed. The following simple steps will help you learn how to retrieve deleted text messages in iPhone.

Step 1:
You need to connect the iPhone with your computer with the help of a USB cord.

Step 2:
Once your phone is connected, do not allow your phone to automatically sync with iTunes. If the phone is automatically synced, you will no longer be able to recover the deleted text files.

Step 3:
Manually connect your iPhone to iTunes and make a Backup by selecting Preferences → Backup from iTunes. You can even right-click on your iPhone device visible in the iTunes window and select choose back up.

Step 4:
You need to Restore the iPhone by selecting Restore. You will find this tab under Preferences. Remember, once you restore your iPhone, the previous iPhone firmware will be restored. Thus, you iPhone will be completely erased once the new firmware is installed. Therefore, make sure you have successfully created back up.

Step 5:
This the last step that will help you restore your deleted messages on iPhone. You will be asked a question, that says are you sure you want to restore factory settings? Once you hit the Restore tab, you will be able to restore your contacts, calendar entries, text messages as well as other settings.

The most important part of restoration is to be able to differentiate between iPhone data restore and iPhone firmware restore. If you select iPhone data restore, you will be able to restore the data that already has a backup on iTunes. This includes all your text messages, photos, videos, etc. In case of iPhone firmware restore, you will be restoring your system and have no user data. This option is only helpful if the iPhone operating system is having trouble.

Other Ways to Retrieve Deleted Text Messages

If you still are not satisfied with the above answer on how to retrieve deleted text messages on iPhone, you can try a few other ways. There are different software available on the Internet that you can download to your PC. These software once installed on the computer, will help you recover deleted text messages. A few of these software that help in recovering your lost data are:
  • TextPad
  • SIM Card Data Recovery software
  • Transee iPhone Transfer SMS
  • DiskAid for Mac or Windows (for jailbroken phones)
  • iPhone Backup Extractor for Mac
You can even try download SMS recovery software that works wonders not only on iPhone, but also BlackBerry, Nokia, Samsung and other phones to recover lost messages. All you need to do is download SMS recovery software on your desktop. Then connect your phone with the computer and scan the mobile for recoverable text messages as well as lost phone numbers. Then select whatever data you need to save and recover the lost messages. You could even try Decipher TextMessage tool to save your text messages on your computer. This tool is sold for $9.99 and helps to view as well as save text messages as well as MMS. This tool works well on Windows OS as well as Mac OS.

These are a few ways that help answer how to retrieve deleted text messages on iPhone 3G. You need to remember not to automatically sync your iPhone with Apple iTunes or else your messages will be lost forever. Hope the above paragraphs have helped answer your doubt 'is there a way to retrieve deleted text messages on iPhone', satisfactorily.
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Last Updated: 1/1/2012
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