Technology (iphones, etc)

I looked around to try to answer your question about how to retrieve deleted iPhone messages. I also asked my colleague from the Safety Net Project, another project at our organization that focuses on tech safety. Apple says deleted messages can be restored for up to 30 days. However, depending on whether a person has been using backups or iTunes, the person may still have some options.

If they have been using iCloud backups, they may have a backup from before the messages were deleted. They should be able to check this by going to Settings > [Their Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups. This might vary a little depending on the specific device and where they were storing the backups (in iCloud vs on a Mac computer). But Apple has good instructions for a range of scenarios. Note that if they restore a backup, they may lose anything they did with or put on their phone since the date of that backup, so they should make sure that they’ve saved anything recent that they want or need to keep somewhere else.

If they use iTunes and have made backups using iTunes, they can plug their iPhone into the computer where they saved the backups. Then they can open iTunes and select their iPhone. There should be a Restore Backup option, and if there are backups from before the messages were deleted, they can pick one. The same warning applies about losing anything they did on the phone since the backup was created.

There is one more option that we know of. When someone deletes files from a phone, computer, or tablet, that data doesn’t immediately disappear. It’s still in the memory of the device. That piece of memory is just marked as free to be overwritten with new data. The data isn’t truly permanently gone from the device until it’s replaced with new data in that piece of memory – this is sometimes how computer forensics people who investigate cybercrime can find deleted files on devices they’re investigating. There are tools that will allow a user to access the files until they’re replaced in the memory, like Data Rescue Labs (and many others – I found that one by searching “iPhone forensics recover files” and am not endorsing it). I haven’t used them, so unfortunately I cannot vouch for their security or reliability. Any unknown third-party tool should always be approached with caution, as should marketing posts on company websites listing the “best” tools and putting their own product on top. There are also many tools implying they can do this that are actually just restoring backups. Reputable electronics consumer sites like Tom’s Guide may have helpful information about tools.

It’s also generally possible to get text message logs from the phone service provider- most cell phone service providers can help someone get the text message logs from their account; however, some providers don’t save the actual messages for privacy reasons. The few who keep the text message history will generally only provide it if they receive a request via legal channels. I’m not sure how long the logs or messages would be kept by the phone service provider.