There are many reasons why your iPhone messages may disappear. There are simple fixes that you can use to fix the problem with missing iPhone messages. These include restarting your device and tweaking the message settings.
This is something that all iPhone users have experienced, including mine. You have reached the right place if your messages vanish from iPhone.
Contents
How do you get messages back that have disappeared from your iPhone?
To retrieve messages from your iPhone, you can follow these steps:
1. Restart the device
If in doubt about the cause of your device’s problems, you can restart it to determine if the problem can be resolved.
Simple restarts can fix a problem with a recent iOS update or message app bug that caused messages to become hidden.
These steps will allow you to restart your device.
iPhone X and newer models
- For approximately 8 seconds, press and hold the volume keys together with Sleep/Wake buttons on either side.
- On the screen, you will see a Slide to Power Off option. To turn off the device, swipe to the right.
- Give it about 30 seconds.
- Hold the Wake/Sleep button down until the Apple Logo appears.
iPhones 7, 6, and SE (2nd generation and 3rd)
- For approximately 8 seconds, press and hold the sleep/wake button to the side.
- On the screen, you will see a Slide to Power Off option. To turn off the device, swipe to the right.
- Give it about 30 seconds.
- Hold the Wake/Sleep button down until the Apple Logo appears.
iPhones 5 and SE (1st Generation)
- For approximately 8 seconds, press and hold the sleep/wake button at the top.
- On the screen, you will see the “Slide To Power Off” option. To turn off the device, swipe to the right.
- Give it about 30 seconds.
- Hold the Wake/Sleep button down until the Apple Logo appears.
After the phone has been turned on, you can check your inbox to verify that the messages have returned.
2. Disable and enable iMessage
Alternativly, if you lose your iPhone text messages, you can switch iMessage or MMS services on and off in the settings. This will clear any glitches.
Click on Messages in the Settings app. The active buttons that indicate MMS or iMessage are turned on will be visible. Turn them off for a while, then turn them back on.
3. Restart the Messages App
If your iPhone text messages stop working, you can simply restart the app to restore them.
The following steps can be used to restart the messaging app:
- iPhones that have a Home button: Double-tap this button to view all active apps.
- iPhones without a Home button: Swipe up from the bottom to access the home screen.
- To close the Messages app, locate it and swipe up.
- Navigate to the Message App on the start-up menu, and then tap on it for a relaunch.
- This should resolve the issue of missing text messages.
4. Change the messages settings
The device has a limit on how long messages can be kept in it. The duration can be between 30 days and 1 year.
You may need to change the settings so that your messages are stored indefinitely if they keep disappearing.
These steps will allow you to change the settings for lost messages.
- Open Settings app.
- Navigate to Message.
- You will find “Keep Messages” under the Message tab. Click on this option.
- There are three options available: 30 Days, One Year, or Forever.
- You can choose the last option to stop messages being automatically deleted from your device.
5. Update your iOS Device
Update iOS to fix any bugs or software issues that can’t be fixed by a restart of the phone.
Apple releases regular updates to fix issues in older versions. You may experience a lot more problems if you stay on an older iOS version too long.
The following steps will guide you through updating your device iOS.
- Open the Settings App.
- Click on General.
- Navigate to Software update.
- If you have a new update available, you’ll see the option Download and install.
- Before you begin the iOS update, make sure that your device is fully charged.
- After the update is completed and the phone reboots check your inbox to verify that the messages from the iPhone have been deleted.
6. Restore phone settings
This method is more reliable than simply rebooting. This won’t change any data on the device but will restore all settings to their default state. It also eliminates any bugs that could have caused your iPhone to stop working.
These steps will allow you to restore your device’s settings:
On iOS 14:
- Open Settings.
- Go to General.
- Scroll down to Reset and tap on All Settings.
On iOS 15:
- Open Settings.
- Go to General.
- Scroll down to Reset iPhone or Transfer and then select Reset
- Next, tap on All Settings
- The process will take some time to complete. You can check your inbox for any missing text messages from the iPhone.
7. A Third-Party Tool is a good option
If the above options don’t work, you can also use third-party iPhone data retrieval software to recover all your messages. You have many options online. We narrowed it down to Dr.Fone Data Recovery.
It’s available for Windows and Mac. These steps will help you get it done:
- The software can be downloaded and installed on your computer.
- Use a USB cable to connect your device and the computer.
- After the device is detected, click the “Start Scan” option to run a thorough scan for deleted files.
- After the process is complete, you will be presented with a summary window listing all files found. This window will include data from the camera roll as well as audio and video files.
- To view all recoverable messages, select the “Messages & Messages Attachments” option.
- Click on the contact number to see the content of each message.
- Click the “Recover” button in the bottom right corner.
- All text messages will be saved to a folder on your computer so that you can view and access them easily.
- You can save the file on your device and any missing messages will be sent back to your inbox.
Similar Reading
- A detailed guide on how to get iPhone text messages on Windows 10
8. Factory Reset followed by a Restore using iCloud Backup
Factory reset is a complete reset of the phone that erases all data and restores settings to the original state it was before you bought it. This will effectively get rid of any glitches that could be behind the disappearing text messages.
An iCloud messages sync is a great tool. Each message you send or receive is automatically uploaded to the iCloud server and available for you at all times.
Restoring from your iCloud has the advantage that you can confirm if you have backups of any iPhone messages. This will save you time and avoid the hassle of doing it all again.
This method of recovering deleted messages will not erase any data. Make sure you have a backup.
