How to Recover Deleted Conversations On iPhone, iOS 17 Supported

Losing an important message could be devastating. In fact, text messages are one of the most common victims of data loss. Many iPhone users say that they have lost a handful of their conversations over the years. Most of the cases are due to accidental deletion and without any backup.

In this article, we will go over the different methods on how to recover deleted conversations on iPhone with and without a backup.

Part #1: How to Recover Conversations on iPhone Using the Messages App - iOS 17Part #2: How to Recover Deleted Conversations on the iPhone with iCloudPart #3: Use iTunes to Recover Deleted Conversations on the iPhonePart #4: Recover Deleted Conversations on the iPhone SelectivelyPart #5: Summary

Part #1: How to Recover Conversations on iPhone Using the Messages App - iOS 17

With the recent iOS 16 updates, you can now recover deleted text messages without backup from the Message App itself. Yes! You read that right, there is an included Recently Deleted folder where you can retrieve your conversations 30 days after you have removed them.

iPhone 8 and newer devices including the latest iPhone 15 can enjoy the iOS update.

Follow these steps on how to recover deleted conversations on iPhone using Message App:

1. Tap the Messages app on your iPhone
2. Find and select Edit. You can see it in the upper-left corner
3. From the menu that appears, choose Show Recently Deleted
4. Go over the recently deleted conversations and mark those you want to recover
5. Tap Recover. All the messages inside the selected conversation will be recovered.
6. Select Recover Messages
7. Tap Done

The recovered messages will be in the inbox of your Messages app. The one drawback of this recovery feature is that it does not allow you to perform selective recovery. You need to retrieve the entire conversation and not just choose a few text messages from it.

It is also important to note that you must have updated to iOS 16 first prior to losing those conversations.

Part #2: How to Recover Deleted Conversations on the iPhone with iCloud

If iOS 16 is currently not yet available on your iPhone, you can make use of your iCloud backup to recover those deleted conversations. You just need to restore the latest backup (before the conversations were erased) in order to get your messages back.

Here’s how to recover deleted conversations on iPhone via iCloud:

1. Go to your Settings
2. Tap your Apple ID
3. Find and tap iCloud
4. Scroll to iCloud Backup. Check the Last Successful Backup date to determine if restoring it is helpful
5. If the iCloud Backup contains the deleted conversations, proceed to reset your iPhone
6. Back to the main Settings menu and tap General
7. Scroll and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone
8. Choose Erase All Content & Settings
9. Tap Erase Now to confirm
10. Now that you have erased your iPhone, you can begin setting it up again. Head over to the Apps & Data screen
11. Select Restore from iCloud backup. If needed, enter your iCloud password
12. Tap Choose Backup
13. Find and select the most recent one
14. Wait for the entire backup content to be fully restored on your iPhone including your deleted conversations

Check your Message app and find the deleted conversations fully recovered on your iPhone.

Although iCloud seems to be the quickest and most convenient backup option, it is still complicated to use when it comes to restoring backup content. This is because iCloud does not support selective restore. You need to wipe out your device before you can restore the backup.

Part #3: Use iTunes to Recover Deleted Conversations on the iPhone

We can restore messages from an iTunes backup. If you prefer iTunes over iCloud, then you can also use iTunes which teaches you how to recover deleted conversations on iPhone. However, you just have to make sure that you have created a backup prior to the incident otherwise, there’s no point in recovering the backup.

You can first check the last backup date and determine if it fits restoring it. Here’s a complete guide:

1. Disable the Find My app before restoring your iTunes/Finder backup.
2. Go to Settings
3. Tap on your profile and select Find My
4. Go to Find My iPhone and toggle it off
5. Connect your iPhone to the computer where your iTunes is installed
6. iTunes will automatically open once the iPhone is detected.
7. Find and click on the iPhone icon
8. Make sure that you are on the Summary menu on the left
9. Find the last backup date on the right side of the iTunes screen. Check the date if the backup contains your deleted conversations.
10. If it does, click Restore Backup
11. Wait until the entire iTunes backup is extracted and restored on your iPhone

Disconnect your device from the computer and check if the conversations are back on your Messages app.

Just like iCloud, iTunes/Finder does not provide selective recovery. You need to restore the entire backup content in order to get a little data.

Part #4: Recover Deleted Conversations on the iPhone Selectively

Given that you don’t have iOS 16 yet and iCloud and iTunes are not suitable options for you, we recommend using a professional recovery tool. FoneDog iOS Data Recovery gives you useful tips on how to recover deleted conversations on iPhone.

iOS Data Recovery Recover photos, videos, contacts, messages, call logs, WhatsApp data, and more. Recover data from iPhone, iTunes and iCloud. Compatible with latest iPhone and iOS. Free Download Free Download

It has 3 main recovery methods that you can utilize.

• Recover from the iOS Device - ideal for direct recovery and without backup
• Recover from iCloud Backup
• And Recover from iTunes Backup

What makes FoneDog iOS Data Recovery stand out is the selective recovery option and file preview. You can only choose the desired data to recover plus you can view them prior to recovery to ensure that you get the correct files.

FonDog iOS Data Recovery also has a friendly interface, click-through based so that all user levels can conveniently recover any deleted files in just a few clicks.

Here is the full guide on how to use FoneDog iOS Data Recovery:

1. Download and install FoneDog iOS Data Recovery
2. Choose your desired recovery method

(a) If you select Recover from iOS Device

1. You need to connect your iPhone to the computer via a USB cable
2. Click Start Scan to continue
3. Preview the recovered items and mark those deleted conversations to recover
4. Click Recover and save them to your computer

(b) If you use Recover from iCloud Backup

1. Be ready to enter your username and password
2. Select the most recent iCloud backup and download it
3. Once the backup is downloaded, preview the conversations and select those you want to recover

(c) If you use Recover from iTunes

1. Make sure that you installed the software on the same computer where you have your iTunes
2. Select the desired backup file and extract it
3. Preview the conversations you need and tick the boxes beside each message you wish to recover

With FoneDog iOS Data Recovery, you can recover any data quickly without the fear of data overwriting.

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Part #5: Summary

You have just learned how to recover deleted conversations on iPhone. To recap, you can take advantage of the newly released iOS 16 and retrieve deleted conversations from the Messages app. While iCloud and iTunes backup are still convenient options when you don't have the latest iOS yet.

Lastly, if you prefer a better and more selective recovery, use FoneDog iOS Data Recovery. It comes with 3 recovery methods that you can choose from.

Let us know what method works best for you.