If you’re trying to recover deleted texts from Android, it’s probably a good attempt to salvage them, but don’t count on it as it may be nearly impossible to get them back.
Many people have deleted something important, whether it’s a text message or photo, and then needed it back or their devices got damaged and they lost critical information. Unfortunately, it’s not always guaranteed that they’ll recover the data, but there are ways to keep this from happening again.
On Android, it’s hard to retrieve deleted messages owing to how the system manages texting data. You don’t have a recycle bin like that in a computer, where deleted files are kept for a period of time before you actually delete them. There’s also no undo function once you delete the text.
What happens is that Android marks the deletion as “overwritten” with new data, more like when you erase something and write over it again. You can however try to restore the deleted text messages from the location Android has placed it for deletion, but you can’t get there with normal methods.
Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try first.
How to restore deleted texts from Android
Enable flight or airplane mode
To try and preserve your data, put your phone in airplane or flight mode immediately. You can also do this via Settings>Network & Internet and toggle the airplane mode switch to shut off WiFi and cellular radio, and no new information will be downloaded.
During this time, don’t use your camera or record any audio or create new data that can overwrite the messages.
Once done, check if the relevant texts you need have been stored elsewhere. For example, photos are stored in Gallery app or appointments to your calendar. There’s an app for your information.
Alternatively, check with the person you send messages regularly to as they may have the messages you lost in their device or backed up somewhere.
Android settings system backup
If you completely backed up your phone before deleting the texts, you can wipe or restore your phone. If this doesn’t work, then there’s no guarantee that you can restore deleted texts from Android using software.
PC-based software don’t promise results, plus they require you to root your phone and this can void the warranty and cause other issues. You may also have to pay for the software, so weigh the value of retrieving the texts using software before hand.
If you want to prevent such problems in future, backup your messages in Google Drive or use Google SMS backup settings. You can also take screenshots of important messages and save those in your backup drive for future reference.
Elsie is a tech writer with 8+ years professional experience. For Tech News Watch, she brings rich experience contributing to topics such as Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS among others. In her spare time, she loves checking out the latest tech trends, gadgets, and news, listening to music and cars.