How can I recover deleted Facebook Messenger messages on my iPhone?

Losing critical messages is distressing. Here’s a method that worked for me:

1. Verify Archived Messages: Open the Messenger app, go to your profile, select ‘Archived Chats’, and see if the messages are in there.
2. Download Facebook Data: This involves several steps:
3. Open Facebook, go to ‘Settings & Privacy’.
4. Click ‘Settings’ and then ‘Your Facebook Information’.
5. Select ‘Download Your Information’ and tick ‘Messages’.
6. Create the file, download it after it’s ready, and check for the messages.
7. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you maintain iCloud backups, restoring from a recent backup might help. Go to ‘Settings’ on your iPhone, tap ‘General’, then ‘Reset’ and select ‘Erase All Content and Settings’. Restore your device from a relevant backup. Note: This will roll back your device to the backup state, possibly affecting new data.

I faced a similar issue, and this detailed approach helped:

1. Check Archived Chats: Within the Messenger app, go to your profile picture, select ‘Archived Chats’, and search for your messages.
2. Download Information from Facebook:
3. Access Facebook settings on a web browser.
4. Navigate to ‘Your Facebook Information’ and select ‘Download Your Information’.
5. Choose ‘Messages’, create the file, and download it.
6. Third-party Tools: Tools like iMobie PhoneRescue or Enigma Recovery can sometimes retrieve deleted messages. Connect your iPhone to a computer and run a scan using these applications. Always ensure you are using reputable software to avoid any security issues.

I’ve been in the same situation and was able to retrieve my messages using these steps:

1. Facebook Support: Sometimes, reaching out to Facebook’s help center can be beneficial. Provide them with all the details regarding the deleted messages.
2. Email Notifications: Check the email linked to your Facebook account. Occasionally, Messenger sends copies of messages to your email.
3. Other Devices: If Messenger is synced with multiple devices, check these to see if the messages are still present there.

Recovering deleted messages can be daunting, but here’s what you can try:

1. Archived Chats: Begin with the simple step of checking ‘Archived Chats’ in your Messenger app.
2. Facebook Data Download:
3. Head to Facebook settings, select ‘Your Facebook Information’, and choose ‘Download Your Information’.
4. Ensure ‘Messages’ is checked, then create and download the file once it’s ready.
5. Professional Recovery Services: If other methods don’t work, professional data recovery services might be a last resort. Although this can be expensive, these services specialize in retrieving data from phones.

I understand your frustration. Here’s a detailed guide from my personal experience:

1. Archived Threads: Sometimes, messages are archived instead of deleted. Open Messenger, tap on your profile picture, and select ‘Archived Chats’. Check if the messages are there.
2. Request Your Facebook Data: Go to Facebook settings, click ‘Your Facebook Information’, and select ‘Download Your Information’. Ensure ‘Messages’ is selected then proceed to create the file. Once it’s ready, download it and see if the messages are included.
3. Third-party Recovery Tools: Some apps, such as Dr.Fone – Data Recovery (iOS), can scan your device and help retrieve messages. Be cautious with these apps and make sure to use trusted ones.

Here’s a structured way to try and retrieve your deleted messages:

1. Archived Messages: Check ‘Archived Chats’ in Messenger by tapping your profile picture and heading to that section.
2. Facebook Data Download:
3. Open Facebook and go to ‘Settings & Privacy’.
4. Click ‘Settings’ and then ‘Your Facebook Information’.
5. Select ‘Download Your Information’ and choose ‘Messages’.
6. Create the file, download it after it’s ready, and review it for the deleted messages.
7. Using iCloud Backups: If you back up your iPhone via iCloud, you might restore it to a previous state before the deletion:
8. Go to ‘Settings’, tap ‘General’, then ‘Reset’, and select ‘Erase All Content and Settings’.
9. Restore your device from an iCloud backup made before you deleted the messages. Note that this will overwrite your current data with the backed-up data, which may result in the loss of new data created after the last backup.