Many WhatsApp users have found themselves in situations where they have accidentally deleted important messages or had messages deleted by the sender before they could read them. This often leads to the question – is there any way to recover or see deleted WhatsApp messages?
The short answer is yes, there are some apps that claim to allow you to view deleted WhatsApp messages. However, the effectiveness and reliability of these apps varies.
How WhatsApp Delete Messages Work
To understand how these apps work, it’s important to first understand how WhatsApp deletes messages.
When a message is deleted on WhatsApp, it is removed from your chat screens and WhatsApp’s servers. However, the message may still be stored on your phone’s internal storage for some time. This is what apps try to access to retrieve deleted messages.
Here are the key points about how WhatsApp message deletion works:
| Point | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Messages are deleted from chat screens | When you delete a WhatsApp message, it disappears from your chat screens and your contact can no longer see it. |
| Messages are deleted from WhatsApp servers | WhatsApp servers delete any copies of the message so it’s no longer available on WhatsApp’s systems. |
| Messages may still be on your phone’s storage | Your phone may retain deleted messages in storage temporarily even after deletion from chat screens and WhatsApp servers. |
| Messages are eventually deleted from phone storage | Over time, your phone will overwrite the storage space where deleted WhatsApp messages were stored. |
So in essence, there is a small window of time between when a WhatsApp message is deleted from chat screens and when your phone fully removes it from local storage. This window is what apps try to take advantage of to retrieve deleted messages.
Factors That Affect Message Recovery
Whether an app can actually retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages often depends on a few key factors:
Time Since Deletion
The less time that’s passed since a message was deleted, the higher the chance of recovery. As time goes on, your phone is more likely to have overwritten the deleted data.
Phone Model and Storage Type
Phones with fast storage like UFS 3.0 are able to overwrite deleted data quicker than those with eMMC 5.0/5.1 storage. So deleted messages are likely to persist for longer on slower/older storage.
Device Usage and Available Storage
If your phone storage is close to full, deleted data is likely to be overwritten faster as your phone needs space. Light device usage increases the chances of recovering deleted messages vs heavy usage and deletions.
Type of Deletion
Messages deleted for everyone cannot be recovered as they are deleted from the server. Only messages deleted for yourself have a chance of being recovered from phone storage.
So in general, the sooner you try to recover deleted WhatsApp messages after deletion and the less you use your phone in the interim, the higher your chances of message recovery.
Top Apps to Retrieve Deleted WhatsApp Messages
There are a number of apps on the Google Play Store that claim to allow retrieving deleted WhatsApp messages. Here are some top options:
1. Dr.Fone – Recover Deleted Messages
Dr.Fone from Wondershare is one of the most well-known apps for recovering deleted WhatsApp messages on Android. It scans your phone storage to find deleted messages that may not have been fully overwritten yet.
Key Features:
- Recovers messages deleted accidentally or by others
- Retrieval from phone storage within 30 days
- Previews messages before recovery
- Recover photos and videos also
2. iMyFone D-Back – WhatsApp Recovery
iMyFone D-Back is designed specifically for WhatsApp and retrieves deleted messages along with attachments, audios, videos, etc. It claims to recover messages deleted up to 1 year ago in some cases.
Key Features:
- Retrieve 1000+ deleted WhatsApp messages
- Recovers messages deleted up to 1 year ago
- Preview function to select what to recover
- Retrieval from phone storage and iTunes/iCloud backup
3. FonePaw Android Data Recovery
FonePaw is another long-standing app for Android data recovery. It retrieves a variety of deleted files including WhatsApp messages and media.
Key Features:
- Recovers deleted WhatsApp messages and attachments
- Allows preview of recoverable WhatsApp data
- Retrieve up to 18+ types of deleted files
- Scan in depth to find residual deleted files
These are some of the more popular and reputed apps that may allow you to recover deleted WhatsApp messages, provided the right conditions. Be wary of dubious apps that overpromise, don’t have many downloads or lack reviews.
How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages
If you want to try using one of these apps to retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages, here are the general steps to follow:
- Download and install the app on your Android phone.
- Grant the app the needed permissions.
- Select WhatsApp recovery or scan for all deleted files.
- Allow the app to deeply scan your phone’s storage.
- Preview and select the WhatsApp messages to recover.
- Recover the deleted messages to your phone’s storage.
The amount of time the scan takes can vary based on your storage and usage. Be patient and don’t interrupt the scanning process for best results.
Limitations and Risks
While these apps may recover deleted WhatsApp messages in some cases, there are limitations and risks to be aware of:
- No guarantee of message recovery – full recovery depends on many factors
- Only messages deleted for yourself, not deleted for everyone, can be retrieved
- Recovered data may be incomplete or corrupted
- Apps often need root access which brings security risks
- Scanning and recovery can disrupt your phone’s performance
So while apps may recover recently deleted WhatsApp messages under the right conditions, there are no foolproof solutions. Avoid apps that make unrealistic claims about being able to recover any message.
Alternative Ways to Retrieve Deleted WhatsApp Messages
Beyond third-party apps, there are a couple other ways you may be able to get back deleted WhatsApp messages:
Restore from Google Drive Backup
WhatsApp automatically backs up your chats to Google Drive on a regular basis. If you have backup enabled, you can uninstall WhatsApp and reinstall it to restore chats from the backup. This can retrieve deleted messages if the backup was created before they were deleted.
Restore from Local Database
WhatsApp stores your messaging data in an encrypted local database on your phone. If you have Developer Options enabled, you can access this database via Android’s adb backup command. You’ll then need to decrypt and process the database to view deleted messages.
However, both these methods are time-consuming, require technical expertise, and may not always work. But they are options worth exploring as alternatives to third-party apps.
Preventing Accidental Message Deletion
Rather than trying to recover deleted WhatsApp messages, the ideal solution is to avoid deleting important messages in the first place. Here are some tips:
- Be careful when selecting messages to delete
- Enable chat backup so you have a backup if you accidentally delete
- Use WhatsApp’s Restore Backup option if you delete valuable chats
- Star or pin your most important chats so they stand out
- Use apps like Undelete for WhatsApp to prevent accidental deletions
Following precautions like these can prevent you from needing message recovery solutions.
Conclusion
While recovering deleted WhatsApp messages is possible in some cases using specialized apps, there are no flawless solutions. The effectiveness depends on many factors like phone model, time since deletion, storage capacity and more.
Apps like Dr.Fone, iMyFone D-Back and FonePaw may allow you to retrieve recently deleted messages from phone storage before they are overwritten. But this requires specific conditions, technical skill and has risks like disrupted performance.
Alternative DIY methods like Google Drive restore and local database extraction are complex, time consuming and not guaranteed. The best solution is being careful to avoid deleting important WhatsApp messages in the first place. But if you do need to attempt recovery, be aware of both the potential and limitations.