Accidentally deleted email draft iOS 17.4.1, iPhone 13

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Accidentally deleted email draft iOS 17.4.1, iPhone 13

After completing a long email I decided to cancel sending and save it to drafts and read through it again later, before sending. Accidentally I hit 'delete draft', and when I attempted to retrieve it from the bin (trash), it isn't there.

A previous answer to this same question, posted in Dec 13 2022 states:

"Anything that's deleted goes to the trash, so go into the trash in your email and see if the draft is still there. If it has been deleted from the trash then there won't be any way to recover it."

I did not delete it from the trash, and it seems an iOS programming oversight that a deleted draft is instantly permanently deleted, without that safety net.

The email protocol I am using is POP3, not IMAP. I've just tested the actions again, and the same result - the email is removed permanently, without going into the trash folder.

If anyone can help with this, I thank you in advance!

iPhone 13 mini, iOS 17

Posted on Apr 27, 2024 3:50 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 27, 2024 3:58 AM in response to ReTracer

Which email account are you referring to? Google, iCloud, AOL, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo or any Other (Refer to the pic )below

Unfortunately, on iOS 17.4.1, once you delete a draft from the compose window and it's not in the trash folder, there's no built-in way to recover it.

Here are some things you can try:

Check for Third-Party Email Apps: If you're using a third-party email app like Gmail or Outlook, some of them offer features to recover deleted emails or drafts. Check the app's settings or help section for any recovery options. how to recover accidentally deleted draft email or Recover lost or deleted emails | Yahoo Help - SLN2552
Search for Snippets: Did you have any part of the email copied and pasted elsewhere, like a note app or another email? You might be able to salvage some snippets this way.

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Answer 2

ReTracer Author

Level 1

4 points

Apr 27, 2024 10:31 AM in response to SravanKrA

Hi, thanks for your response.

It's a POP3 email account on my own domain, it doesn't access any cloud service, but sends emails, keeping a copy on my phone in the sent items folder. I've looked everywhere, and it is simply gone. I would stress that in order for Apple to maintain its aim of being genuinely user-friendly, some consistency here on 'delete draft' it should, like all other deleted items such files, photos, notes, sent emails, received emails etc., go into the trash.

It is an easy enough mistake to make, and I've been wary of it for about 16 years as something that behaved differently to everything else, and genuinely appalled to see it in action at its worst. A really horrible experience on such an important email that took too long to write.

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