Your iPhone messages may disappear from time to time and there could be a variety of reasons to this. There are solutions that I tried to fix the disappearing iPhone messages issue. they range from simple steps like starting the phone, or tweaking the settings for messages, or more complex solutions like performing an uninitialized reset.
This is a problem numerous iPhone owners, such as me have dealt with at one point or another. If you have noticed that your messages were not being sent to your iPhone, then you’ve found the right spot.
How Can You Receive Messages Returned that have disappeared from your iPhone?
The following steps can be taken to recover messages that been deleted from Your iPhone device:
1. Restart the device
If you’re ever uncertain of the cause that might be the cause of your device’s malfunction start it up in the first step to determine if the issue is fixable.
A simple reboot could fix an issue with the software or glitch in a recent messaging application or iOS update, which causes messages to go unnoticed.
To turn off the device To restart the device, follow these steps:
For iPhone X and later models (including SE 3rd generation)
- Hold and press on one of the volume keys along with it’s sleep/wake button located on the side for approximately 8 seconds.
- There will be an “Slide to Turn Off” choice appear on the screen. Swipe left to shut off your device.
- The device should be used for 30 minutes.
- Hold and press and hold the sleep/wake button for a few seconds until Apple Logo appears on the screen.
On iPhones 8 7 6 as well as SE (2nd generation)
- Hold and press on the sleep/wake button on the side for around 8 seconds.
- You’ll see an “Slide to Turn Off” feature appear on the screen. Swipe left to shut off your device.
- The device should be used for 30 minutes.
- Hold and press and hold the sleep/wake button for a few seconds until Apple Logo appears on the screen.
In iPhones 5 as well as SE (1st Generation)
- Hold and press on the Wake/Sleep button at the top for around 8 seconds.
- There will be an “Slide to Turn Off” feature appear on the screen. Move your finger to the left to turn off your device.
- Give the device around 30 minutes.
- Hold and press your button for Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until Apple Logo appears on the screen.
When the phone is back fully operational, go to your inbox to see whether messages have been sent.
2. Enable or disable iMessage
In addition, if you notice that you find that your iPhone text messages have disappeared and you want to restore them, switch both MMS and iMessage messaging services off and on by adjusting the settings. This will clear any issues.
Start the Settings application and select Messages. There are active buttons which indicate that MMS and iMessage are both on. You can turn them off for a couple of minutes, and then switch them back on.
3. Restart the Messages App
If you notice that your iPhone text messages go missing by accident, a quick restart of the app may restore the lost iPhone messages.
The app can be restarted messaging app by following the steps:
- On iPhones with a Home button Tap the Home button twice to open a list of applications that are currently in use.
- On iPhones with no home button: swipe upwards at the very bottom of your home screen.
- Find the Messages app, then swipe it upwards for it to shut down.
- After that, navigate through the Message app in the menu at start-up and tap on it to restart it.
- That will fix the issue with problem of missing text messages.
4. Change the settings for Messages
There’s a limit on how long the device is able to store messages. This ranges from 30 days up to one year and lasts for a period of time.
If your messages stop disappearing, it’s a good idea to investigate this issue and alter the settings so that they remain on your phone for a long time.
To modify the settings that deal with lost messages Follow these steps:
- Open the the Settings app.
- Navigate to the message.
- Under the Message tab you’ll see “Keep messages.” Click on this feature.
- You’ll see three options three options: 30, 1 year and Forever.
- Choose the option that is the last option This will prevent messages from being erased automatically on your device.
5. Update your iOS Device
If the issue is the result of bugs and software issues that a restart isn’t able to fix and you’re not able to fix it, then updating your device iOS might benefit keep the messages from disappearing.
Apple often releases updates that aim at fixing problems in the earlier version. If you’ve been stuck on the older iOS version for too long it is possible that you will experience many problems.
The process of updating the device iOS is an easy procedure to complete by following these steps:
- Start your Setting app.
- Click on the General.
- Go through the Software Update.
- If there’s a new version you’ll see you the opportunity to download and install it.
- Check that the phone is completely charged prior to beginning this iOS update.
- After the update has been completed when the phone reboots you can check your inbox to determine if any deleted iPhone messages are in there.
6. Restore the phone’s settings
Another method that is reliable that goes further than simply rebooting. This doesn’t impact any information on the device, however it can restore all settings of the device back to the default settings, definitely eliminating any bug which could benefit you in the event that you’ve lost your iPhone messages went missing.
You can reset the settings of your device using these steps:
On iOS 14:
- The Open Options.
- Visit the General.
- Scroll down to Resetand click on Reset All Settings.
In iOS 15 or later:
- Settings. Open the Settings.
- Visit the General.
- Scroll down to transfer or reset iPhone and then choose Reset.
- Tap on Reset All Settings.
- It may take a while to finish the process. Examine your inbox to find the disappearing iPhone messages.
7. Make use of a third-party tool
Third-party iPhone software for data recovery to find all the lost messages if the previous solutions aren’t enough. There are a variety of options on the internet, but the one we chose to be the most efficient is Dr.Fone Data Recovery
It’s available on Windows as well as Mac. It is possible to get it done using these steps:
- Download and install the program on your computer.
- Make sure your devices are connected to your computer together an USB cable.
- Once your device is identified, select”Start Scan” after which you can select the “Start Scan” feature to run a thorough scan for recently deleted files that are stored on your phone.
- You’ll receive an overview window that outlines the data that was discovered after the process has completed. It includes information from your camera roll, video audio files, and messages.
- Choose the “Messages and Attachments to Messages” feature to see all the messages that are recoverable.
- You can see the content of each email through clicking the contact’s name and the number.
- Choose the threads in which you want to restore, and then click on the “Recover” button located at the bottom left corner.
- All text messages that you have selected will be saved to a specific folder on your personal computer for easy access and reading.
- The file can be saved on your device, and any messages that are not saved will be saved into your email inbox.
8. Factory Reset, followed by a Restore with the iCloud Backup
The term “factory reset” refers to a full reset that erases all information and resets the settings to the way that the phone worked when you purchased it. This energetically eliminates any issues that might be behind the disappearing text messages.
This is where an iCloud message sync feature can be useful. Every message you transmit and receive is uploaded securely onto the iCloud server regularly, ready for you to access anytime you need to.
The benefit of restoring from the iCloud is that it will be able to determine whether you can verify that the iPhone messages you want to backup are stored on your iCloud or not. This can save you the hassle of going through the entire process just to get it done.
The drawback is that you’ll need to erase all of your current data with this method to retrieve lost messages. Also, warrant that you create an entirely new backup before you begin.
