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How to Recover Lost Contacts after iOS 17/iPhone Update | 5 Easy Fixes

Updated By Amy On Jul 2, 2025, 10:36 pm

"Can I recover permanently del eted text messages fr om my iPhone without backup?"

If you're struggling to recover permanently del eted text messages fr om your iPhone, don't miss this article. On an iPhone, there are ways to retrieve and restore del eted text messages, even if you don't back them up to iCloud or iTunes. Especially for users of iOS 16 or later, the Recently del eted folder can be accessed to find and restore messages that were del eted within 30 days and not backed up. Below, we'll detail three effective ways to recover permanently del eted text messages fr om your iPhone without backing them up.

PART 1 Why Can You Recover Permanently del eted Text Messages fr om iPhone without Backup?

It is less likely, but not impossible, to recover permanently del eted text messages fr om an iPhone without a backup. There are several reasons why you can recover permanently del eted text messages fr om your iPhone without a backup:

Data deletion mechanism: When text messages are del eted on an iPhone, they are not immediately permanently del eted fr om the device's memory. Instead, they are marked as "del eted" and their storage space is marked as available for new data. This means that it is still theoretically possible to retrieve this del eted data by specific technical means before it is overlaid with new content.

- Application of Data Recovery software: There are various third-party data recovery software on the market, such as Geek Data Recovery iPhone version and iPhone Data Recovery. These software often have advanced scanning algorithms that can search and extract del eted data fr om the iPhone's memory, including text messages, contacts, videos, pictures, audio, and even social platform data. By connecting an iPhone to a computer and running these data recovery software, users can choose to scan and recover del eted text messages.

- Recently del eted folder (iOS 16 and later) : For iOS 16 and later iphones, a Recently del eted folder is included in the Messages app. This folder will store all del eted text messages for up to 30 days (or longer, depending on your system Settings). During this time, users can recover del eted SMS messages fr om the Recently del eted folder. Note, however, that once this time limit is exceeded, or the user manually del etes text messages fr om the Recently del eted folder, they will no longer be recovered by this method.

Important: Once del eted data is overwritten by new data, it can no longer be recovered. Therefore, after discovering that important text messages have been del eted, you should stop using your iPhone as soon as possible (especially avoid sending or receiving new text messages), and use professional data recovery software to scan and recover as soon as possible.

PART 2 Several Effective Ways to Recover Permanently del eted Text Messages fr om iPhone without A Backup

Method 1 Use the Recently del eted folder to recover permanently del eted SMS messages fr om your iPhone

For text messages del eted within 30 days, you can try to recover them fr om the Recently del eted folder in the iPhone Messages app. Here are the steps:

Step 1 Unlock your iPhone and open the Messages app. Click Edit or Filter if message filtering is enabled.

Step 2 sel ect Show Recently del eted or tap Recently del eted. At this point, you will see all messages del eted in the last 30 days.

Step 3 sel ect the conversation that contains the del eted SMS messages you want to recover, click Recover in the lower right corner, and then sel ect Recover Messages or recover a specific number of messages fr om multiple conversations.

Method 2 Use iPhone Data Recovery Software to Recover Permanently del eted Text Messages

If you del eted messages more than 3 days ago, you can't find del eted messages in the Recently del eted folder, or you want to restore messages that were del eted earlier, consider using third-party professional data recovery software. iPhone Data Recovery allows users to recover del eted text messages, imessages, contacts, videos, pictures, audio, and other data fr om the iPhone without backing up.

You can follow the steps below to recover permanently del eted text messages fr om your iPhone using iPhone Data Recovery.

Step 1 Install and start the iPhone Data Recovery program on your Windows PC or Mac. Then sel ect the Recover fr om iOS Device mode.

Step 2 Connect the iPhone to the computer using a USB cable. Then click the Start Scan button in the data recovery software interface to allow the software to search for and access del eted messages in the iPhone's storage space.

Step 3 After the scan is complete, click the Messages category to preview and determine the messages that need to be recovered, and click the Recover button to save them to the computer.

Method 3 Contact Your Mobile Carrier to Restore Permanently del eted Text Messages

In addition, you can also try to contact your mobile carrier to recover del eted text messages. While this method doesn't guarantee success, some carriers may keep a copy of your text history for a few days to a few months. You will need to provide your mobile operator with authentication information, such as the phone number associated with the chat, the contact who sent or received the text message, and the date range on which the message was sent or received.

PART 3 How to Back up iPhone Text Messages to Avoid Data Loss

In order to avoid facing the dilemma of data loss again in the future, it is recommended to back up your iPhone text messages regularly. For example, use Apple's iCloud, iTunes/Finder, or a reliable third-party backup service to create a cloud or on-premises backup.

1. Backup iPhone Text Messages with iCloud: Open the Settings app on your iPhone, tap your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup, and turn on the Back Up this iPhone switch. As long as your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi and has enough space, iCloud will automatically back up your device every day. Of course, to back up your iPhone immediately, click Back Up Now.

2. Back up iPhone Text Messages Using iTunes/Finder: Connect your iPhone to your computer, run iTunes or Finder, find your device and click Back Up Now.

When a del eted text message needs to be recovered fr om a backup, either reset the iPhone and restore the data fr om the backup (which will restore the entire device), or use third-party data recovery software to restore a specific message without resetting the iPhone.

Summary

These are the effective ways to recover permanently del eted text messages fr om your iPhone, and we strongly recommend that you regularly back up your iPhone data, including text messages, to keep your data safe.