How to Recover Old Text Messages on iPhone Even 1 Year Ago

"How to retrieve lost text messages on iPhone?"

Many iOS users are troubled by the loss of certain messages on their iPhone, especially those that are extremely important. Although accidental deletion is the most common cause of data loss, sometimes text messages on the iPhone may disappear due to factors beyond your control. For example, some iPhone users may find that the message on their device cannot be found after performing an iOS 17 update.

As many iOS users know, backing up your text messages in iTunes or iCloud is the easiest way to get them back, because all you have to do is restore the backup. However, this approach has its own drawbacks. This method will not work if there is no backup of the lost text messages. But don't worry, in the absence of data backup, you can use powerful data recovery software, Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS. Based on advanced technology, it allows users to retrieve old text messages from their iPhone from a year ago. If you're struggling to find lost text messages on your iPhone, download Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS for free.

1. Use Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS to Scan iPhone to Recover Old Text Messages (iOS 17 supported)

Whether it is to retrieve lost text messages or find old text messages, the easiest way is to scan with Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS. The data recovery tool is designed to scan iphones specifically for any missing text messages or old text messages on the device. Simply connect your iPhone to your computer, and Geekersoft iPhone Data Recovery will automatically scan your device for you and find all your data on it. In addition, it has more advanced features that allow users to delete iCloud and iTunes backups to extract text messages from the backup files without having to restore the device.

On how to use Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS to scan old messages on your iPhone to recover lost messages, you just need to complete the following steps.

Step 1 Install and launch the iOS version of Geekersoft Data Recovery on your computer, then select "Recover from iOS Device". Connect the iPhone to the computer via a USB cable, then wait for the program to detect it and click "Next."

Step 2 Select "Message" as the data type to be scanned and click "Scan".

Step 3 After the iOS data recovery scan is complete, you will see a list of all messages on the device in the pop-up window. Select the messages you want to recover and click "Recover" to save them to your computer.

2. Scan iTunes/iCloud Backups to Recover Old iPhone Messages

As mentioned earlier, if you restore an iTunes or iCloud backup to your device, you'll also be able to retrieve old messages from the backup. But while restoring an iTunes or iCloud backup might help you recover some old or lost messages, there are some drawbacks:

- Users will not be able to view iTunes or iCloud backups in advance until the recovery process is complete. In other words, you won't know if the messages you need are included in the backup.

- Selective recovery of specific messages is not supported, as you cannot view the contents of iTunes or iCloud backups.

- Restoring a device from an iTunes or iCloud backup may cause new data loss issues. In the process of restoring data from iTunes or iCloud backups, all data and Settings on the device will be erased. This means that all photos, new messages, new contacts, and any other new data on the device that may not have been included in the backup will be permanently deleted.

To avoid new data loss, we strongly recommend you use Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS version. It can help you avoid all these problems, it allows users to scan iTunes or iCloud backup files to recover lost messages, and does not affect the existing data on the device.

To scan an iTunes backup for old messages with Geekersoft Data Recovery for iOS, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1 Install and launch Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS on your computer, then select "Restore from iTunes Backup".

Step 2 From the list of iTunes backup files displayed in the pop-up window, select the most relevant backup files and click "Next". Then select "Messages" as the type of data you want to scan and click "Scan".

Step 3 After the Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS is scanned, select the message you want to recover and click "Recover" to save it to your computer.

To scan iCloud backup for old messages with Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1 Install and launch Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS on your computer, and then "Recover from iCloud Backup". Follow the prompts to log in to your iCloud, and then select the most relevant iCloud backup to allow the program to analyze the backup of all messages.

Step 2 Select "Message" as the data type to be scanned and click "Scan".

Step 3 After the Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS scan is complete, select the required message and click "Recover".

3. Use The Search Bar on iMessages to Find Old Text Messages

Using the search bar on iMessages can also help you find old messages on your iPhone. The detailed operations are as follows.

Step 1 Launch your iPhone and go to the Message App.

Step 2 After the message list is displayed, slide down to display the search box.

Step 3 Enter a keyword in the search box to find the message you are looking for. You will see all the messages related to that keyword.

Step 4 Click a specific search result to go to and view the message.

4. Use Spotlight to Find Old iMessages/ Texts

Using Spotlight search is also an effective way to find the old messages you need. You can follow the steps below to do so.

Step 1 Launch your iPhone and bring up Spotlight Search from the home screen.

Step 2 Click the search bar and enter the keyword of the SMS message to be searched. For example, names, words in messages, phone numbers, and so on.

Step 3 Locate the messages section in the search results to find the old messages you want.

Summary

These are the effective ways to find old messages from your iPhone. You can choose one or more methods to try according to your needs. If you want the most convenient and effective, then Geekersoft Data Recovery iOS version is the best choice.