How do I retrieve older messages that I didn’t delete, but aren’t showing up on my screen?

How do I retrieve older messages (e.g., from 3 months ago) that I didn’t delete, but that are no longer showing up on my iPad in the Messages app?

iPad, iOS 10

Posted on Jul 12, 2023 5:00 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 13, 2023 4:57 AM

You iPad may automatically delete older messages from your iPad. Check your settings:

Settings > Messages > [Message History] Keep Messages - select from 30 days, 1 year or Forever


For deleted messages that can be recovered, the often overlooked iPad User Guide describes the procedure to recover them:

Recover deleted messages on iPad - Apple Support

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 13, 2023 4:57 AM in response to tmh1123

You iPad may automatically delete older messages from your iPad. Check your settings:

Settings > Messages > [Message History] Keep Messages - select from 30 days, 1 year or Forever


For deleted messages that can be recovered, the often overlooked iPad User Guide describes the procedure to recover them:

Recover deleted messages on iPad - Apple Support

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How do I retrieve older messages that I didn’t delete, but aren’t showing up on my screen?

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