MacworldText messages have a reputation for being informal and inconsequential, but you might have really critical information in there. So, if youve deleted some texts to clear up space on your iPhone and accidentally got rid of one thats important, or wiped your iPhone and discovered your messages were no longer there when you recovered it, dont panic! Theres a chance you can retrieve your deleted text messages on iPhone. The process has six potential avenues that we cover below. None of these are guaranteed to work, but if youre desperate, theyre worth a shot.PROMOTIONRecover deleted messages and iPhone data EaseUS MobiSaverAn iPhone data recovery software helps to recover deleted text messages on your iPhone or iPad, compatible with any iOS version. With 3 simple steps, all lost iOS data gets back, and iPhone or iPad issues are solved like locked or disabled mode, iOS upgrade or downgrade problems, stuck white screen, and other data loss scenarios.Now 25% OFF Exclusive Code: MACWORLD25RECOVER IPHONE MESSAGE ON MACLEARN MOREOption 1: Recover deleted texts from Recently DeletedA feature that arrived in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16.1 was the ability to recover messages you have deleted. You have to do so within 30 days, but that is the only limitation. FoundryHeres what you need to do to recover a deleted message from Recently Deleted: Open MessagesTap on Filters (top left)Tap on Recently Deleted You will find messages that were deleted in the past 30 days here. To recover one tap on it. Now tap on Recover and that message will move back into your conversation list. FoundryIf its been longer than 30 days and isnt in the Recently Deleted folder or you lost the messages due to a failed update or something you didnt do, dont panic! There are still numerous ways to recover your missing messages via a backup. If you back up regularly via iCloud on your device, Finder on your Mac, or iTunes on your PC, your texts wont be gone forever. Here are several ways to recover that lost text you want to get back:Option 2: Recover deleted texts using an iCloud backupIf you have an iCloud backup from before the time when you deleted the text, youshould be able to get it back by restoring your phone to that iCloud backup. Just note that you will lose anything since you made that backup! 1.Find your backup IDGOpen Settings, tap on your Apple ID card at the top, select iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.2.Choose the right backupIDGYoull see a list of backups for your devices and can tap on the one for your iPhone to see when it was last backed up prior to when you deleted the messages.3.Restore to factory settings IDGNow comes the annoying part. Youll have to reset your iPhone to factory settings and set it up again, choosing to restore from your iCloud backup during the process. Note that youll lose all your data from the time after the backup, so I hope those texts really are important!To reset your iPhone go toGeneral > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.4.Restore from iCloud backupFoundryOnce your iPhone restarts and begins the setup process, choose to restore from an iCloud backup and select the backup that is dated prior to when you erased your text message.Option 3: Recover deleted texts from an iTunes or Finder backupIf you dont want to rely on automatic iCloud backups, or dont have enough iCloud storage space for them, you can back up your iPhone to your Mac using Finder (or to your PC or Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier that still have iTunes). Just as with the iCloud method, this requires having a backup from before you deleted the message and the resetting your phone, restoring from that backup. Youll lose everything from after the backup. So, export and save separately any recent files you want to keep.Connect your iPhone to the Mac or PC containing the backup(s). Open Finder on Mac, or iTunes on PC.In iTunes, you should see an iPhone icon appear in the top left-hand corner. Select it. In Finder, select your device from the lefthand menu bar.Now choose Restore backup. In Finder, youll find this option under the General tab.All the data you previously backed up will now replace the data on your iPhone. It will take a few minutes. As long as you havent backed up since deleting those text messages, they should now appear in the messaging list on your phone.Option 4: Retrieve deleted texts using iCloud mergeThere is a method thats brilliant if it works, since it doesnt require a complete reset. Its called iCloud Merge, but weve had mixed reports on how successful it can be. For reasons that remain unclear, in certain territories and for certain phone operators, iCloud simply doesnt back up SMS messages.So try the first two steps to see if youre one of the lucky ones, and jump ahead to the next method if youre not.Log into iCloud.com using your Apple ID and password.Click on Text Messages. (If this option isnt visible, your messages havent been backed up hereso you might as well skip to the next method.)Search the messages to find the ones you need.Now go to your iPhone and choose Settings > [your name] > iCloud.Turn off Messages in iCloud (you may have to select Show All under Apps Using iCloud).Youll see a popup. Select the option to Keep On My iPhone.Now turn text messages back on.Tap Merge, then wait. After a few minutes the deleted text messages should reappear on your iPhone.Option 5: Restore deleted texts by contacting your carrierYour cell provider might keep a record of text messages you send, at least for awhile. If youve deleted a text message that isreally critical, you might be able to call your carrier to get a copy of it.Note that this will only work for SMS text messages (green bubble conversations), not iMessages (blue bubble conversations). Every iMessage is encrypted on your device and not decrypted until it reaches the recipient, so your carrier wouldnt be able to help you recover them.In order to get a record of texts from your carrier, you will probably need to jump through a bunch of hoops to prove your identity or even get permission from the other person you were texting. And most carriers only keep records of SMS messages for a limited timeyoure not likely to ever be able to recover a message from a year ago.But as a last resort, getting a copy of your SMS messages from your carrieris a possibility, and its worth calling the customer support number to ask about it.Option 6: Restore deleted texts using a third-party appThere are quite a few third-party software tools that promise to let you restore deleted data on your iPhone, including deleted texts. Its a bit of a risktheyre almost never free and theres no guarantee theyll even work. But if youve exhausted all other options, and its really important, it might be worth a shot.Some of the software options with a good reputation online are PhoneRescue, Wondershare Dr. Fone, and Tenorshare UltData. Much of the time, a deleted message on your iPhone is actually still there in the flash storage, waiting to be overwritten by new data. If thats the case, one of these programs might be able to restore it.Bear in mind that none of these methods are foolproof. If you dont have a backup you can restore from before the time you deleted your text message, theres only a very slim possibility of ever getting it back. So the most important piece of advice is: dont leave important information in your text messages! Copy that data somewhere more secure and resilienta place with its own independent cloud-based backups. See our guide to the best cloud storage solutions for Apple users.