How To View Old Text Messages Iphone

• How to View iPhone Messages on PC or Mac. Sometimes, we need to back up our iPhone data to our pc or Mac. As we know, iTunes can help you to back up iPhone data, but the data you backup by iTunes is unreadable on your computer. How to view text messages of iPhone on pc or Mac as a text? Actually, this article can help you solve this problem.
• I'm trying to retrieve old text messages from my iPhone from April and May and my backup system is iCloud. Is the any way to get those messages? Product: iPhone Software (if necessary): iOS Already Tried: I tried a software program that get data from iTunes backup but it looks like my backup is now on iCloud.

1. How To View Old Text Messages Iphone
2. How To View Old Websites

How to View Old Messages on iPhone or iPad the Fastest Way. It’s worth pointing out that this is not the only way to view and read old messages, whether iMessages or text messages, on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, but the other methods will require the usage of a computer.

With a number of messages that we receive every day, it could be a serious challenge if we want to search certain information from text messages/iMessages on iPhone, especially when we need to find phone numbers someone texted to us.

In this guide, I will show you three easy ways to search iMessages and text messages (the deleted ones are included) in details. You can read old iMessages/text messages easily, and if the messages are deleted, you can recover the deleted iMessages and text messages.

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Part 1. How to Track Old Text Messages/iMessages on iPhone

Look up Old Text Messages on iPhone

You can easily find old messages on iPhone without scrolling with search bar on iMessages.

1. Tap Message app.

2. While viewing the Messages list, swipe down with your finger to expose the search box.

3. Enter the search string/keywords/phone number in the search box and the results list will automatically update as you type.

4. You may want to go to a specific date in iMessage.

TIP: Unfortunately, currently, there is no way to search iMessages/text messages by date on iPhone.

Use Spotlight to Find Old iMessages/Text Messages

You can also access to text messages on iPhone with Spotlight.

1. Just tap and swipe to the right to bring up Spotlight Search from the Home screen.

2. Then, tap the search bar and enter the information you are searching for. You can search a word, phone number, etc. in the target text message.

3. When the search results appeared, swipe down to scroll through the list to locate the Messages section.

Now in iOS 11, Spotlight is more powerful for you to search contents.

How To View Old Text Messages Iphone

Part 2. Quickly Get to the Beginning of A Text Conversation

Also here is a simple trick to help you quickly scroll back to the top of a text message/iMessage without swiping/scrolling. It is very simple yet easy to be neglected. This can help you better see texts history on iPhone.

1. Open a text message/iMessage thread.

2. Keep taping the upper bar on the very top of your iPhone screen, the bar that displays the current time, your carrier's name, battery level, etc.

3. As you tap, it will quickly scroll to the beginning of the message conversation.

4. The trick can also be applied to look up messages in other messaging apps like WhatsApp.

How To View Old Websites

Part 3. How to Search Deleted iPhone Messages

After a thorough search, if you still couldn't find the old texts that you need, the iMessages or messages may have been deleted.

To search old text messages that have been deleted from your iPhone, you can use a tool named FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery. This tool is initially designed to recover lost, deleted and hidden data from iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It can be also used to check and pull up old SMS, MMS and iMessages on your iPhone X/8/8 Plus/7/7 Plus/ SE/6s/6. And when you find out them, you can retrieve old text messages from iPhone.

DownloadDownload

Search Recently Deleted iPhone Messages

STEP 1. Download, install and open the program on your computer. Then connect your iPhone to the computer. You'll then get a pop-up window asking you to tap 'Trust' on your iPhone to trust this computer.

STEP 2. After the program detects the device, you may click on the 'Start Scan' button for the program to scan recently deleted iMessages and text messages on your iPhone.

STEP 3. When the scan is completed, the program displays all the files it found including the recently deleted messages/iMessages. You can 'Only display the deleted items' to find the delete messages that you need.

STEP 4. To look up a specific text, you can input the texter's name, phone number or email partially in the search box at the right corner of the interface.

STEP 5. Select the needed messages by clicking on the checkboxes, hit the Recover button to save the conversation on a computer.

Search Old Messages Deleted from Months(Years) Ago

Scanning iPhone with FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery works more effectively to find the messages that are deleted lately because the data of the messages have not been wiped out from the phone. However, if you search for old messages/iMessages that are deleted from months or even a year ago, you may use the FonePaw software to find the old text messages/iMessages from your iTunes/iCloud backups.

The method is quite similar with that of searching recently deleted messages, only that you should have backups that were created months or years ago stored on PC or iCloud and you don't have to connect your iPhone to PC.

On FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery, choose 'Recover from iTunes(iCloud) Backup File', select the right backup according to its date, you can then search and see your old messages/iMessages on the software.

Part 4. How to Search and Backup SMS on iPhone X/8/7/7 Plus/6

Like FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery which can help you search deleted iPhone text messages, iOS Data Backup & Restore is another tool that let you find all text messages on your iPhone by inputting the keyword of the message content or sender's name, phone number of a message. It can also backup text messages/iMessages history on your iPhone.

1. Free download iOS Data Backup & Restore on a PC.

   

Download


2. Open the program and connect your iPhone with USB cable. Then use the program to make a backup of text messages/iMessages on your iPhone. (Full guide on how to backup messages on iPhone)

3. When the backup is done, click Restore iOS Data to view the backup.

   
   

   
   

4. Enter word, phone number, contact name on the search bar to search text messages/iMessages. You can also click Restore to PC to view the messages on PC or Restore to Device to share the messages to other iPhone.

Apart from searching for deleted SMS on iPhone, you can also take advantage of FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery to search notes, contacts, WhatsApp messages, Safari bookmarks, Safari history, etc. on iPhone and iPad. Start here!

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Solution 4: Recover Deleted Text Messages on iPhone with Apple Services

Though, the standard ways for recovering deleted text messages from iPhone are available but most people hardly know about all of them. In case you have created an iPhone backup on iTunes or iCloud, you can easily perform iPhone SMS recovery from that backup. As a matter of fact, every time you sync the iPhone with your computer, a backup is created if the automatic sync to iTunes is turned on.

Recover All Deleted Messages on iPhone with iTunes

iPhone SMS recovery is possible only if you have already created an iPhone backup. If you don’t regularly back up your iPhone data then this method mightn’t be the best way for you. As you know, every standard way do has certain limitations. Unless the prerequisites are met, you can’t get the best out of it.

Here are some prerequisites/cautions that you must consider when you wish to recover deleted text messages on iPhone using iTunes backup.

• The downside of recovering deleted messages on iPhone in this process is it will overwrite all the existing files on your iPhone, including old messages.
• It can’t selectively recover deleted messages iPhone, as the entire backup is restored back to your iPhone.
• You need to upgrade to the latest version of iTunes, prior to retrieving the data or you may end up with several unknown errors.
• Use the same computer that your iPhone is synced with and has a backup on iTunes.
• Don’t connect to iTunes right after you know that messages were deleted, first turn off iTunes automatic sync on your computer then opt for restoring backup to your iPhone.

Let’s discover the detailed process of recovering deleted messages on iPhone from iTunes now:

1. Launch the most recent iTunes version on your computer and connect your iPhone. Now, choose your iPhone` from the iTunes interface.
2. Next, click on ‘Summary’ tab and then hit the ‘Restore Backup’ button. You then need to pick the relevant backup file from the pop up message and tap ‘Restore’ to confirm your selection.
3. After the recovery of deleted text messages on iPhone is completed, the text messages till your last backup will be visible on your iPhone.

Recover All Deleted Messages on iPhone with iCloud

If you have backed up you iPhone text messages to iCloud, you can recover deleted text messages on iPhone from iCloud back files without any issue.

Here are certain limitations that you should keep in mind:

• Selective recovery of deleted messages on iPhone is not possible, as the entire device backup gets restored. It will even restore the other unwanted data that you may not wish to clog your device’s space with.
• Make sure to have a strong Wi-Fi connection on your iPhone to carry out iPhone SMS recovery. A fluctuating internet connection would prevent the recovery process and you might lose the text messages and data forever.
• Use the same Apple credentials you have used to create the iCloud backup. If you use another iCloud account then getting back your text messages won’t be possible.

Here is the step-by-step guide to recover deleted text messages from iPhone via an iCloud Backup:

1. First, go to ‘Settings’ on your iPhone and then tap the ‘General’ section.
2. After that hit ‘Reset’ button and choose ‘Erase All Content and Settings’.
3. Let your device to reboot and when you reach ‘Apps & Data’ screen, tap on ‘Restore from iCloud Backup’ option.
4. You will be prompted to sign in to your ‘iCloud’ account. Do that and select ‘Choose Backup’. If required confirm your selection. It is essential for iPhone SMS recovery. The recovery process will start soon after.

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