How-to Guide: Recover Deleted Messages With/Without Samsung Backup

Many text messages on our Samsung phones are so important that we cannot afford to lose them: messages from loved ones, business colleagues, long-lost friends, or important information that we may need again. However, many factors cause text messages to be lost on our phones, such as accidental removal, system crash, water damage, factory reset, etc.

If you accidentally deleted text messages or texts disappeared on your Samsung Galaxy S10/S9/S8, don’t worry! In this guide, we will show you different methods on how to retrieve deleted texts on Samsung.

You can retrieve deleted texts on a Samsung device by checking the Trash or Recycle Bin feature in the Samsung Messages app-your deleted texts might be temporarily stored there (usually for 30 days). For those using Google Messages or in cases where messages are permanently deleted, restoring from a backup is your next best option. You can also retrieve deleted messages even without backup.

Bonus Tip: You can read this guide to recover your data if your phone won’t turn on.

How to Retrieve Deleted Texts on Samsung

There are three normal ways to retrieve deleted texts on Samsung:

Method 1. Recover from Trash( Samsung Messages)

Step 1. Open the Samsung Messages app.

Step 2. Tap the three vertical dots (More options) and then select “Trash“.

Step 3. Touch and hold the message you want to recover. You can also tap “All” to select multiple messages.

Step 4. Tap “Restore” or “Restore all.”

Method 2. Restore from Backup

Step 1. Check if you have a backup: Go to Settings > Accounts and Backup > Backup and Restore to check if a backup exists.

Step 2. If a backup is available, select it and choose “Restore.”

Step 3. For Google Drive backups, you may need to reset your device and restore from the backup.

Method 3. Restore via Google Messages

If you are using Google Messages, you can restore from a backup if one exists:

Step 1. Open the Google Messages app.

Step 2. Tap your profile icon, then select “Archived.”

Step 3. Long press or select the messages you want to recover, then tap the Unarchive icon.

Step 4. If the messages aren’t there, they may have been permanently deleted.

How to Retrieve Deleted Texts on Samsung Without Backup

DroidKit’s Deep Recovery mode enables fast and efficient scanning, previewing, and recovery of over 10 types of deleted data, including text messages, contacts, photos, documents and files, and more. If you only need to recover media files like photos, videos, or audio, the Quick Recovery option lets you do so without rooting your device.

Moreover, even if your Android phone is locked, DroidKit can still help you recover data from your locked phone.

DroidKit has some excellent features when it comes to Samsung data recovery:

• Preview the deleted text messages on Samsung and select the ones to recover.
• Get both existing and deleted data back to your device or computer.
• Recover more than 10 types of deleted data, including messages, images, audio, contacts, chat history, app files, etc.

Now we know the exciting features, let’s jump into the steps on how to retrieve deleted messages on Samsung via DroidKit.

Step 1. Free install DroidKit on your computer and then click on the Deep Recovery Mode as shown in the image below.

Step 2. Jump to the Data Category screen, and from there, click on Messages and hit the Start button to recover the SMS.

Step 3. Now it’s time to connect your “Samsung Device” and then tap on the Start button.

Step 4. Wait for some minutes until the tool checks the device’s status; tap on the Root Now option if your Samsung device is not rooted before.

Step 5. Finally, once the device is rooted, select the “Messages” you want to retrieve and choose the option to either the device or PC.

[3 Ways on Video] Retrieve Deleted Text Messages on ANY Android/Samsung

FAQs About Text Messages on Samsung

Q1. Can you recover deleted text messages on Samsung？

Yes, deleted text messages on a Samsung phone can be recovered, but it depends on whether you have a backup. If you use Samsung Messages and have the Trash feature enabled, deleted messages are stored there for up to 30 days. You can also restore messages from Samsung Cloud if you previously backed up your data. For Google Messages users, recovery typically relies on a Google Drive backup if you have enabled it. You can also retrieve deleted text messages without backup via third-party recovery tools.

Q2. Where Are Deleted Text Messages Stored on Android?

When you send or receive a message on your Android phone, it is saved in folders such as the “Inbox” or “Sent Items” folders. These messages are not immediately deleted from the device when you delete them. In general, Android SMS is kept in a database in the data folder of the Android phone’s internal memory. The location of the database, on the other hand, may differ from phone to phone. The texts can be found in the places listed below, depending on your Android version.

• Android 4.3 or older: /data/data/com.android.providers/telephony/database/mmssms.db
• Android 4.4 or later: /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/database/mmssms.db
• Android 7.0 and above: /data/user_de/0/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db

Q3. Are Deleted Text Messages Stored on SIM Cards?

When you delete a text message, it does not disappear from your Samsung smartphone immediately.The encrypted technical message data is still kept on the SIM card, but it is flagged for overwriting. The encrypted technical SMS data remains on the phone until sufficient new information is stored to override it. If the SMS is downloaded directly to your Android device, many hundred “removed” SMS may remain.

Q4. Can You Recover Deleted Text Messages from 2 Years Ago?

Unfortunately, you need to create a backup before deleting the SMS, or you can inquire with your network provider about the text message service. There are very few cell phone companies that keep text messages, and even those that do would not keep them for two years.

The Bottom Line

Now you know how to retrieve deleted messages on your phone, with or without a backup. First, check the Trash or Recycle Bin. Then, if you use Google Messages or have permanently deleted messages, try restoring from an existing backup.

If there’s no backup available, don’t worry. With DroidKit, you can quickly recover deleted messages on Android without needing to know where the texts are stored. Whether the messages are deleted or lost, DroidKit helps you recover them fast, even without a backup.