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How do I retrieve specific text messages

I’d like to retrieve text messages older than one year I was looking for old text messages and I noticed that my phone setting was to save for one year and I made it update it to save all the time but how do I retrieve the ones prior to changing the settings to all the time?

iPhone 14 Pro Max, iOS 16

Posted on May 15, 2023 9:33 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 15, 2023 2:25 PM

If you mean you set up iCloud for Messages, that would only govern where the messages are housed.

Keep your messages up to date with iCloud - Apple Support


Regardless, once messages are deleted that pre-date iOS 16, they are gone forever.

Recover deleted text messages on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support


6 replies

May 15, 2023 2:30 PM in response to Mdaff9

Mdaff9 wrote:

Even though I had cloud services? I thought the cloud stored those messages? Thank you for responding.

I assume you mean you have iCloud Syncing enabled. The messages that are synced are the ones you've elected not to delete. When you had "1 year" selected, you were telling the system to delete things older than that. It did. They are gone.

How do I retrieve specific text messages

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