Text messages don't actually get deleted

How do I find a deleted text? I didn't want my dad to see these texts because he would tease me about it but I really want the text so I can reread them

Just deleted every text message between me and my son. I keep them for sentimental reasons. I hope I can retrieve them. Please help?

I want to retrieve the text messages I accidentally deleted. Any way to do this? I have never done a backup on this phone, so I need another option besides iCloud or iTunes retrieval.

How do I retrieve old text messages on my iPhone 6 Plus and it was an old phone number I now have a new phone number I need the

You are correct. My bf unknowingly was showing me how to look up contacts through the spotlight search, little did he or I know at the time that the first sentance of text messages would show up.

Oh how I did not like what I saw. 😟

I have also played with it on mine, it is hit or miss as you have to type in a keyword that is actually in the text. You cannot read the whole text, nor really tell who the actual sender or reciever is, only the other name exchanging the texts.

Seems to me if they are still in there enough to show up in spotlight search there has to be a way to recover them. But you cannot open them once they have been deleted.

There can be enough evidence just in that to get you in trouble.

Although the easiest solution is just to do the right dang thing in the first place and not be exchanging texts that you wouldn't want someone else to see. Grrrrrr!!!

But changing your settings will stop the spolight search from searching text messages, or email whatever you don't want to show up.

But all someone has to do if they can get to your phone is recheck the settings and bam!!

The truth will always come out in time anyway!

Hi there - can you help me.

I want to RECOVER text messages ACCIDENTLY deleted from my 32G i phone 4. The tried the spotlight thing and nothing showed up. When I did the deleting, I did the DELETE AND SWIPE METHOD. Please help if possible.

I need my deleted msg to pop back upa

A large number of people on this and related posts seem to be misunderstanding the problem. The issue raised is that the iPhone does not delete the name and/or number to which text messages or iMessages have been sent. This is not a problem related to Spotlight Search. That is easy to fix and has been explained on here several times. Go into settings/general etc and uncheck "messages" and that does the trick, leastwise it should.

The problem here is that when you start a new Text message or iMessage (NOT an e-mail), the system pulls up a list of previous addressees not just from your current Contacts. For example, you once had a Contact called LS Dancing School but your kids now no longer go there, but you had sent the school text messages in the past. Now that your kids don't go there, you have deleted LS Dancing from your contact list. This has been backed up and synched with iTunes on your laptop several times. However, every time you send a text to a contact beginning with "L", up pops LS Dancing in the autotype list!!!

Apparently it is not possible to delete these old contacts from the autotype list. Whilst this is only irritating for many, it is a MAJOR SECURITY FLAW for the business world. For example, any contact with companies by text in the past, can be shown up this way. If that was unauthorised, or something similar, then there is no way of stopping that companies name showing in the autofill list thus recealing past contacts.

It seems that the only thing to do is a factory reset. This simply deletes all no-system data so you have to start again - but be warned, a back-up/restore will re-instate the problem.

I love my iPhone but this is a serious flaw which Apple seem to be ignoring. If they don't fix it I will end up with a Samsung and Android which would be a shame.

Hi there.... I try to explain this to people. all phone company's including cell phone company's are required to keep records of all your texts messages period so.....every word you text there will always be a record of it....

example

Fighting with your girlfriend

picking up a bag of pot.

Doing anything illegal or unethical?

You are stupid to use texting

Voice calling is the safest form of communications always have, always will be. They can easily be retrieved via court order. HTH

It's true. Anyone concerned about his/her privacy should know this: What happens is this: When you delete something, any visible links to your files gets cut off. The files themselves don't get removed. that's how some websites such as this one and others, claim to be able to recover deleted files from iphones etc. and as a matter of fact, they are capable of doing it.

SOLUTION (as you pointed to it): Do a factory-reset. You will loose everything and it is not possible to recover anything from that.

This still doesn't work for me. After I sync they are all still there. Any suggestions?