Are text messages ever fully deleted? (2023)

Can you ever permanently delete text messages?

When you delete a piece of data from your device — a photo, video, text or document — it doesn't vanish. Instead, your device labels that space as available to be overwritten by new information.

You can only recover messages and conversations that you deleted within the last 30 to 40 days.

Myth: When you delete a text, it's gone.

You can recover it or delete it permanently right then and there. That also means anyone can see your deleted messages if they have your passcode. Here's the good news: Text messages you unsend do not appear in the recently deleted messages file.

If you simply delete a text, they are still available. And there are common forensics tools used by both law enforcement and civil investigators to recover them.

Keeping Your Data Secure

So, can police recover deleted pictures, texts, and files from a phone? The answer is yes—by using special tools, they can find data that hasn't been overwritten yet. However, by using encryption methods, you can ensure your data is kept private, even after deletion.

The Android operating system stores text messages in the phone's memory, so if they're deleted, there's no way to retrieve them. You can, however, install a text message backup application from the Android market that allows you to restore any deleted text messages.

Some phone companies also keep records of sent text messages. They sit on the company's server for anywhere from three days to three months, depending on the company's policy.

Your provider or "carrier" keeps records of your cellphone use, including calls and text messages, and even pictures sent from your phone. Almost all cellphone carriers give detailed information about a phone's use in billing statements sent to the owner.

In fact, all text messages are saved on Android phones by default. Therefore, if you only have a SIM card, you cannot see the text messages saved on the phone. If you want to save them on the SIM card or SD card, you have to manually move them to the SIM card one by one yourself.

Here's how: Long-press the message thread you'd like to remove. It will highlight with a checkmark. Tap on the trash can icon at the bottom and confirm.

Can your phone company retrieve deleted text messages?

Carriers have an extensive database to keep messages even after it has been deleted. Hence, you can reach out to your carrier to retrieve deleted text messages from another phone for free. Some carriers do not give direct access to sleeted text messages.

Can Police Read Text Messages That Have Been Deleted? Deleted text messages are usually retrievable from a phone, but before beginning the process, law enforcement officers would need to obtain a court order.

When you set up iCloud for Messages, your messages are stored in the cloud instead of locally on your device. You can see them on any device that's set up for iCloud and Messages, including your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac.

Messages older than 90 days will be deleted from Your Messages cloud storage.

(§ 901(b)(11) ). You can authenticate text messages by presenting: a “copy,” a screenshot, photo, or print-out of the message that includes identifying information that links the message to the texter, and. testimony or affidavit that the copy is a true and accurate representation of the text messages.

To retrieve deleted text messages on your Android, you must factory reset your Android phone and restore the Google Drive backup during the setup.

Unless you take action, your iPhone will keep a permanent copy of all of your messages forever. You can delete an entire conversation by swiping left on it in your iPhone's Messages app. To delete individual messages, tap and hold on the message until you see the pop-up menu, then tap it to get to the trash can.

Tap the conversation. Touch and hold the message you want to delete. Optional: To delete multiple messages, touch and hold the first message, then tap more messages. Tap Delete to confirm.

Are deleted messages on iPhone really deleted?

Note: Any message that you delete from a conversation using Undo Send is permanently deleted.

Here's how: Long-press the message thread you'd like to remove. It will highlight with a checkmark. Tap on the trash can icon at the bottom and confirm.

All of your deleted text messages can be found in the Messages app. To find your trashed messages, open Messages and tap the Filters option in the top left of your text threads. Here you can filter your text messages by known senders, unread messages and more. However, the option we want is Recently Deleted.