How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages
You accidentally deleted a WhatsApp message that you wanted to keep and now, instead of the conversation you were expecting to see, all you find is "This message was deleted". The truth is that it might be gone for good, or it might not, depending on a number of factors, and not nearly as many people take those factors into account when attempting a recovery as they should.
Below is an overview of the methods that actually work, what doesn't work, and a few recommendations to make before doing any of the following.
The Quick Answer
If you have a recent WhatsApp backup (Google Drive for Android, or iCloud for iPhone) that was created prior to the message's deletion, you can recover it by uninstalling and reinstalling WhatsApp and restoring it from that backup. If you don't have a backup, you can still recover deleted WhatsApp messages with a couple options specific to Android, that iPhone users simply don't have.
The less you use your phone, the better your chances of recovery are, since any new photos or apps you install will take up storage space that could still potentially contain the message in question.
Method 1: Restore From an Official Backup
A full restoration of WhatsApp from a previously created backup is the most reliable method of recovering a deleted message, and it's also the one specifically recommended by WhatsApp itself, due to the company explicitly stating that they do not keep a copy of your chat history on their servers, making your personal backups your only hope of getting any deleted data back.
For Android, WhatsApp's backup is stored in Google Drive on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule, set by you. To restore from a backup, you'll need to remove WhatsApp, reinstall it from the store, and during the phone number verification step, you will have the option to restore from your most recent Google Drive backup, if one exists.
For iPhone, the process is similar, but instead of Google Drive, WhatsApp's backups are stored in iCloud. Navigate to Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups to see if any WhatsApp backup exists, and if it does, how recent it is. Once you've verified this, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp, and during the setup procedure you should see the option to restore from an iCloud backup, in much the same way as Google Drive.
This method, unfortunately, is an all-or-nothing affair. It will recover every message that was on your phone at the time of the backup, and no message that you received afterwards. If your nightly backup runs at midnight, and you deleted a message at 3PM, you should be fine, but if another backup has run since you deleted the message, the one you want to recover will already be gone. It's important to note, then, that restoring from a backup will not allow you to recover a single deleted message, but rather, your whole conversation history up until the point of the backup.
Method 2: Check Android's Notification History (Free, Android Only)
Android keeps a rolling log of the notifications it displays on your device, including previews of messages, even after the message has been deleted.
To view this, navigate to Settings > Notifications > Notification History (exact wording may vary, depending on your device manufacturer). If the message was deleted recently enough, and your device received a notification for it before it was deleted, you may be able to see a preview of the message itself.
You'll only be able to see the first however-many characters, typically between 40-50, of the actual message, if it was previewed in a notification. If you didn't see a preview of the message before it was deleted, or it was deleted shortly after being sent (not given enough time to display a notification), this won't work for you. Additionally, this information is only stored for a short time -- typically no longer than 24 hours -- so you won't be able to recover a message that was deleted more than a day ago.
All in all, it's a fast and free method to recover a message that was previewed in a notification before being deleted.
Method 3: Check for a Local Backup File (Android Only)
WhatsApp has a local storage area for backups, separate from Google Drive, that, by default, only keeps the last 7 days worth of local backup files, giving you more flexibility than a Google Drive backup would.
If you have a Google Drive backup that's too recent to have been created before the message was deleted, but a local backup that was created before the deletion still exists, some people have had success finding the local backup file with a file browser, and renaming it so that WhatsApp thinks it's the most recent backup, thus allowing it to be restored by reinstalling WhatsApp.
This is a somewhat technical procedure, that requires more in-depth knowledge than most people are comfortable with, and it's not an officially supported method of WhatsApp. Proceed with caution, and consider other methods first, if this seems too complicated.
iPhone doesn't have anything similar to this. iOS has a different architecture than Android, and, as a result, you can't freely browse the file system on an iPhone the way you can on Android.
Method 4: Ask the Other Person
If you only deleted a message (or messages) from one conversation, rather than a group chat announcement that no one else saw, you can always ask the person on the receiving end to resend the message or export the conversation to you, either way.
WhatsApp's export chat feature, found in the settings for a particular conversation, will let the other person send you a text file of that conversation (complete with any attached media, if you want it), which you can then read to recover the deleted message(s). It won't be able to recover a message that you sent and the recipient deleted, or a group message, but it should get the job done for a standard one-to-one conversation.
What About Third-Party Recovery Software?
You've probably seen programs like Dr.Fone, MobileTrans, or PhoneRescue, that claim to recover your WhatsApp messages without needing an existing backup, by searching through your phone's internal memory for any trace of deleted WhatsApp messages, and letting you preview and selectively recover them.
In many cases these do work, because deleting a message doesn't always remove it from your device's memory immediately, and it might still be recoverable, until you write something new over it.
That said, exercise caution when using any third-party recovery software, because you're essentially letting them scan through all of your personal data, looking for anything they can use. Make sure you thoroughly research the program you're considering, and read recent reviews, before trusting it with your personal information.
Common Mistakes That Make Things Worse
Waiting too long to attempt a recovery. The more you use your phone normally, the more likely it is that new information will overwrite what you're trying to recover.
Reinstalling WhatsApp without first checking your backup date. You can accidentally overwrite messages you still want to keep, by restoring an iCloud or Google Drive backup that was created after the message was deleted.
Assuming that iPhone and Android are similar in this regard. iPhone's options are more limited, and some solutions that work for Android, simply don't have an equivalent for iPhone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover a WhatsApp message that was deleted for everyone?
Only if you have a backup prior to the deletion, or it was previewed in a notification before being deleted. WhatsApp does not store deleted message content on their servers for either platform.
Is there a way to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone without an iCloud backup?
Unfortunately, no. There's no reliable free method for doing so, due to the way iOS is structured. iPhone's equivalent to Android's local backup storage is sandboxed, and not accessible, which is why the only viable iPhone-specific option is an iCloud backup.
How long does WhatsApp keep local backups on Android?
By default, the last 7 days worth of local backups.
Will restoring a backup delete my current messages?
Restoring a backup is an all-or-nothing affair. It will overwrite whatever messages you currently have with the ones that were on your phone at the time of the backup, so it's not advised, unless you know what you're doing.
Is it safe to use third party WhatsApp recovery software?
It depends on the tool in question. Make sure you read recent reviews for any tool you're considering, and do your research, before trusting it with your personal information.
Does WhatsApp keep a copy of my deleted messages on their servers?
No, WhatsApp has stated that they do not store your chat history on their servers, which is why recovery depends on your personal backups, and not something that WhatsApp can do for you.
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