How To Retrieve Deleted Text Messages On Android In 6 Easy Steps

Smartphones are touch-sensitive, and we may inadvertently delete things we regret later. However, with Android, it isn’t the end of the world. It is possible to recover binned messages. If you don’t know how to do this on your phone, don’t fret. You might even be asking “where are deleted text messages stored on android?” if you do not know where your text messages are stored. Our simple article will show you how to retrieve deleted text messages on your Android device in six steps.

What Happens to Deleted Text Messages on Android? Where Are Deleted Text messages Stored on Android?

If you’re used to retrieving emails from the trash in Gmail and other Google apps, your Android phone will disappoint you. You can archive and retrieve SMS text messages but cannot open the bin and get a deleted SMS out. 

In Android, texts, photos, and other deletable data are designated for overwriting. If memory is scarce on your phone, the space taken by your deleted text message is immediately overwritten. 

However, all is not lost.

Wiping digital correspondence is almost impossible. Many digital forensics specialists assert that deleted text messages can be recovered. If you don’t want to use ‘jailbreaking’ services, you can try a few more simple solutions.

How to Retrieve Deleted Text Messages on Android

Recovering your text messages on Android doesn’t have a high success rate, but if you have an important text you need to access, we have gathered some of the best methods to get that text back.

How to Restore Deleted Text Messages via a Google Drive Backup

If you routinely backup your Android phone to your Google Drive, then maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to retrieve that deleted text from a recent backup of your phone data. Follow these quick steps:

Step 1: Open Google Drive on Your Phone

 If you have been backing up your data in Google Drive, you should be able to find time and date-stamped backups of your Android phone there. Head over to G-Drive by opening the app on your phone. 

Step 2: Tap on the Three Horizontal Lines on the Left-Hand of the Search Bar

Open the Google Drive menu by tapping the hamburger menu on the left of the search bar. This is the main G-Drive menu in the app and contains the main navigation options, including Backups if present. 

Step 3: Tap on Backups

If you have recently backed up your phone data, including that deleted text message, you’ll find it in the Backups section of the drive. Tap on this option to open the folder and find stored backups. 

Step 4: Look For Your Most Recent Backup

Any recent backups are listed by date in the backups folder. If you have been backing up your Android phone at regular intervals, you should find multiple backups of your phone listed in this folder.

Step 5: Select a Backup From a Time When the Text Message Was Still on Your Phone

Tap on a backup from before you lost your text message. This will open up the backup to reveal the folders and data that have been stored. If recoverable SMS data is available, it will be listed. However, you cannot open the data folder, you can only check that it is present. 

Step 6: Restore the Backup Data on a New Android Device and Open the SMS

Unfortunately, you cannot open your stored Android backup on your Android phone. If retrieving that text message is vital, you will need to get a new Android phone and log into it to restore the backup. 

You can only restore a backup onto a new Android phone of the same or higher version of Android. Once the backup is in the phone, open messages to see if the text you need is there.

Other Options for Retrieving a Deleted SMS

This is the simplest and most accessible method for recovering a deleted SMS. Of course, you could ask the sender to resend the message if they still have it on their device. There are other, more sophisticated methods of data recovery from an Android phone, but they are technically advanced and potentially costly. 

It may be too late for the text message you are trying to recover, but many dedicated apps will back up your current text messages for instant recovery on an ongoing basis.

Deleted message recovery apps include:

• SMS Backup and Restore
• SMS Backup+
• SMS Backup, Print & Restore

Remember that these apps are data-sharing apps and will share your messages with a third party so that they can be backed up. 

Rounding Up

When it comes to deleted text messages, an Android smartphone isn’t smart. Backing up your SMSes before deleting a text is the only realistic way to recover messages. If you don’t have a second Android phone for restoring backups, a message recovery app is a way forward.

Android Smartphones in the News

Sorry iPhone… Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world. As such, Android phones are always making headlines. Here are some of the latest:

• Samsung confirms July 26th launch date for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5
• Google’s July System Update includes a new Google Wallet feature, bug fixes, and security patches.
• Google Photos adds new video effects for Pixel owners and Google One subscribers, including stop motion, time lapse, and boomerang.

Up Next

• The 5 Best Android Phones on Earth Today — If you’re shopping for a new Android phone, this post will help you choose the model that’s right for you.
• Motorola Moto G Pure vs. Moto G Stylus: What’s the Better Phone? — These two Motorola smartphones are in the entry-to-mid-range, have strong battery life, and run on the Android platform. So how can you choose?
• What are the Best Samsung Phones Today? Ranked and Reviewed — Samsung offers a wide range of smartphones that are stylish and user-friendly. Our favorite is the Galaxy S23. Find out why.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Ksenia Shestakova/Shutterstock.com.