Retrieving deleted messages from a blocked contact can be challenging, but not impossible. When you block a number, it prevents any future messages from coming through. However, any previous messages that were already received are still stored on your device. The key is accessing those cached messages and recovering them even after you’ve deleted them.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the different methods you can use to retrieve deleted messages from a blocked number, on both iPhone and Android devices. We’ll cover data recovery apps, cloud backups, manual file digging, and more. With the right tools and techniques, you can resurrect old message threads in their entirety.
Reasons For Needing to Retrieve Blocked Messages
There are a few common reasons you may need to recover deleted messages from a blocked number:
– Legal evidence. If you’re involved in a court case, old messages may be useful evidence. Even if you no longer want to communicate with the person, retrieving those lost conversations is important.
– Sentimental value. Sometimes we regret blocking someone, and want to look back on conversations from when the relationship was happier. Recovering deleted messages allows that.
– Checking facts. You might need to double check something that was discussed, like details about a past event which can jog your memory.
– Curiosity. Plain curiosity about past communication can motivate some people to restore deleted messages, for reflection.
– Accidental deletion. If you deleted messages without meaning to, getting them back allows you to correct that mistake.
Whatever your specific reasons, the process is essentially the same. Just know that it is possible and legal to recover messages from blocked numbers, for your own personal use.
Can I Retrieve Deleted Messages on an iPhone?
Yes, it is possible to retrieve deleted messages from a blocked number on an iPhone. Here are the main ways to do it:
Recover from iCloud Backup
If you have iCloud backups enabled, you can restore deleted messages from a backup. Here are the steps:
1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.
2. Tap to open the most recent backup. Tap “Restore” to restore your device data and settings from this backup.
3. Once the restore is complete, your deleted messages should be recovered. You may find them under Recently Deleted in the Messages app.
This will work as long as the messages were not deleted before the last backup. iCloud automatically saves backups daily when connected to power and WiFi, so it’s a reliable recovery method.
Use iPhone Data Recovery Software
There are third-party iOS data recovery apps that can restore deleted messages even without a backup. Some top options include:
– *FoneDog Toolkit-iOS Data Recovery* – Retrieves up to 30 types of lost iPhone data.
– *iMyFone iBypasser* – Recovers deleted messages and chats from apps like WhatsApp.
– *Tenorshare UltData* – Scans storage deeply to rescue erased text messages.
These tools dig into the iPhone’s internal storage and live memory to pull messages that haven’t been fully overwritten. Performance varies based on the recovery software.
Check iTunes or Finder Backups
If you sync your iPhone to a computer through iTunes (Windows) or Finder (Mac), there may be backups stored on the desktop containing deleted messages. Connect the iPhone and preview content from different backup dates to find messaging data.
Third-party apps like iExplorer and iMazing can also read iPhone backups via computer and export messages if available. This gives you another avenue for retrieving deleted chats from blocked numbers.
Can I Retrieve Deleted Messages on Android?
As with iOS, there are several ways to recover deleted messages from blocked numbers on Android phones:
Restore from Google Drive Backup
If you have the backup feature enabled in your Android Settings, your SMS messages are periodically saved to Google Drive. You can restore this backup to retrieve deleted messages with these steps:
1. Open the Google Drive app and tap Backups.
2. Tap on your phone’s backup. Tap the icon ≡ and choose Restore.
3. Select only “SMS Messages” and tap Restore.
Once finished, check your Messages app for the restored conversations.
Use Android Data Recovery Software
Apps like *FoneDog Android Data Recovery*, *iMyFone iBypasser – Android*, and *Jihosoft Android Phone Recovery* can recover deleted messages on Android by reading the phone’s internal memory without backup.
These tools dig deep into storage to find remnants of deleted data. Performance varies across devices and SMS apps.
Connect Phone to Computer
Another option is to connect your Android phone to a computer then scan it with data recovery software. Programs like iMyFone D-Back, EaseUS MobiSaver for Android and Syncios can restore Android messaging data when the phone is plugged in.
How to Prevent Deleted Messages from Being Overwritten
To improve your chances of recovering deleted messages from a blocked contact, it helps to prevent the data from being overwritten by new content. Here are some tips:
– Don’t use your phone actively right after deleting messages. The less you do, the less chance of overwriting.
– Turn on Airplane mode after deleting. This stops new data from coming in and overwriting.
– Avoid downloading apps and files which can save over the deleted data.
– Use a data recovery app as soon as possible before the messages are fully overwritten. Act quickly for the best results.
Taking these precautions gives you a stronger likelihood of being able to rescue those deleted, blocked messages and have them at your disposal.
Can Messages be Recovered if the Sender is Deleted?
Yes, it’s still possible to recover deleted messages even if the sender’s contact record itself is deleted from your phone:
– When you delete a contact, the past conversations are not automatically erased. The messages remain intact and recoverable.
– On iOS, the Messages app stores all conversations, regardless of whether the sender contact exists or not.
– On Android, the SMS/MMS history is kept independent of contacts, so deleting one does not affect the other.
As long as the message cache or backups remain undisturbed, the conversations are retrievable – the sender’s contact record does not need to be present. The messages will show the actual phone number rather than a contact name.
So if you have deleted texts from a number you also deleted from contacts, don’t lose hope. You can still pull those message threads back with the right recovery methods.
How to Retrieve Messages if Sender is Unknown
When a sender’s number is not already saved in your contacts, it can seem more difficult to recover deleted messages from them. Here are some tips:
– On iOS, unknown senders have their phone numbers as the sender name in the Messages app. You can search for the number to find the conversation.
– On Android, you can see the phone number for unknown senders in the SMS app history. The messages are retrievable as long as the history is intact.
– Some data recovery apps allow searching conversations by phone number, even if the sender is unknown.
– If you know the approximate date/time, you can scroll through message history sorted chronologically to spot messages from the unsaved number.
– As a precaution for the future, consider saving all unknown numbers that you exchange messages with so they have a contact record.
With a combination of searching by number, filtering by date, and browsing conversations visually, you can reconnect with message threads from unsaved senders – even if you later block them.
How to Retrieve Accidentally Deleted Messages
If you accidentally deleted messages that you wanted to keep from a blocked contact, take these steps for the best recovery:
– Don’t continue using the phone. More activity raises risk of overwriting.
– Enable Airplane Mode immediately to avoid any new data being received.
– Connect to a computer and use desktop software to scan the device before the memory is overwritten.
– Alternatively, install and run data recovery software directly on the mobile device while in Airplane Mode.
– Check cloud backups via iCloud or Google Drive and look for the most recent backups before the accidental deletion occurred.
– THink back to the approximate date/time of the deleted messages and focus searches on that time period for efficiency.
– Some Android SMS apps have a limited amount of time to “Undo” message deletions and recover them quickly.
Acting fast is key – the sooner you stop phone activity and start scanning for recoverable data, the better your chances of retrieving those unintentionally deleted text messages that slipped through your fingers.
What Determines Success Retrieving Deleted Messages?
Whether or not you can retrieve a deleted message from a blocked number depends on several key factors:
Time Since Deletion
– The sooner you attempt recovery, the better. Minimal phone usage prevents overwritten data.
iPhone vs Android Differences
– iPhone message storage tends to be more unified/stable for recovery. Android results vary more by device & SMS app.
Device Usage Patterns
– Lots of messaging/downloads raise risk of data being overwritten before recovery can happen.
Backups
– Availability of backups from iCloud or Google Drive provide a more surefire route to retrieve deleted messages.
Recovery Software Capabilities
– Paid tools often provide greater depth of scanning and message restoration capabilities compared to free options.
Understanding these factors will set reasonable expectations for successfully resurrecting deleted messaging data from blocked contacts on both iOS and Android devices.
Conclusion
While challenging, recovering deleted messages from blocked phone numbers is definitely achievable on both iPhones and Android devices. As long as the message data still resides intact on your phone’s internal storage, external backups or even cloud backups, specialized mobile data recovery software has the technology to retrieve and restore it completely.
Knowing exactly when and how the messages were deleted or lost, avoiding further usage of the device, and acting quickly with professional grade recovery solutions offer the highest chances of success. With persistence and care, resuscitating those valuable deleted messages from blocked contacts is within reach.