When Apple released its mobile operating system iOS 16 for its iPhone and iPadOS 16.1 for its iPad tablet, the update brought with it an easier way to retrieve and recover deleted messages and conversations on your Apple devices. Before we start it is worth mentioning you only have access to messages and conversations you have deleted within the last 30 to 40 days. Sorry the timescale is a little vague, but this is what Apple suggests as the timescale you have to recover any deletions. In this quick guide will show you how to recover deleted messages on iPhone and iPad devices if you have iOS 16 or iPadOS 16.1 loaded onto your Apple phone or tablet.
Any messages or conversations you may have deleted on your Apple iPhone or iPad will be held on the device in a trash folder. After 40 days any messages in this folder will be automatically deleted by the Apple operating system, permanently removing them or conversations across all your Apple devices.
Recover deleted iPhone messages
This method of message recovery only applies to iPhones and iPads that are running iOS 16 or above. You can check this by going to the Settings app on your Apple device and then pressing General > About. Under your name the iOS version currently running on your iPhone or iPad will be listed. As of writing this article the latest iOS version currently available is 16.3. If your devices running the latest iOS, then follow the instructions below.
1. Open up the Messages application on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Then press the blue word Edit in the top left-hand corner of your iPhone screen.
3. If you have any messages or conversations you have deleted in the past 40 days you will see the option to Show Recently Deleted listed in the menu. If you have not any deleted messages to recover this option will not show.
4. Select the Show Recently Deleted and you will see all the messages available that you can recover.
5. Next to the messages is the number of days left before it will be permanently deleted
6. On the left-hand side put a tick in the circle of the messages you would like to recover on your iPhone
7. Confirm your selection by pressing the blue Done button in the top right corner of your screen
8. Any messages you have recovered will now be back in your Messages app and available to view
Apple officially made iOS 16 available on September 12, 2022 bringing with it a wealth of new features, personalization’s, tweaks and enhancements. One of the major changes in this iOS release was the redesign of the iPhone Lock Screen as well as offering more advanced ways to interact with messages as well as recover messages on iPhone. Previously before the release of the Apple iOS 16 operating system there was no easy way to recover messages on iPhone, iPad or Mac across your iCloud account.
iOS 16
Apple also added new productivity tools within its Mail app as well as adding more secure browsing to its mobile Safari app with the addition of Passkeys. A next-generation credential that can’t be phished or leaked, making it more secure and easier to use explains Apple. Passkeys Designed were created to replace passwords and use Touch ID or Face ID for biometric verification, and iCloud Keychain to synchronize across all your Apple devices whether it be an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV system with end-to-end encryption. iOS 16 is a free software update and is available to download onto Apple devices from the iPhone 8 and later.
Further help
If you require any further help to retrieve deleted messages on your iPhone, iPad or MacBook computer it might be worth jumping over to the official Apple support site or booking an appointment with an Apple Genius Bar representative to make sure you do not lose any vital information, messages or conversations you have had previously that you may have inadvertently deleted and need to recover.
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