iPhone Messages Disappeared? 11 Ways to Fix It

User Concern

“A text message stream has disappeared from my iPhone. I didn't delete it. How do I get it back?”

It’s frustrating when your iPhone text messages suddenly disappear - whether it's a few important chats or your whole message history. Many users have faced this issue, and it can be a real headache.

The good news is, there are several ways to fix it and recover your lost messages. In this post, we’ll tell you exactly what you can do when your iPhone text messages disappear and how to get back the messages without any backup.

Why Did My Messages Disappear on My iPhone?

iPhone text messages may disappear due to several different reasons. Here are some of the main ones:

• You may have previously changed the message history settings, causing older texts to be deleted automatically.
• If Messages in iCloud is enabled, syncing issues can sometimes make messages temporarily disappear from your device.
• While clearing storage, you might have accidentally deleted important text conversations.
• When your iPhone is running low on space, iOS may automatically remove old messages to free up storage.
• Software bugs, glitches, or iOS updates can occasionally cause messages to disappear unexpectedly.
• In rare cases, malware or malicious apps could interfere with your device and delete message history.

Fix Text Messages Disappeared on iPhone: 10 Methods

Now that you know some possible reasons that can cause iPhone messages to disappear, here are the solutions to help you resolve this issue.

Check Recently Deleted Folder

The Messages app on iOS keeps deleted messages for up to 30 days. If your messages were deleted within that time frame, you can still recover them easily.

1. Open the Messages app and tap Edit in the top-left corner.
2. Choose Show Recently Deleted from the menu.
3. Find the messages you want to recover, select them, and tap Recover to restore.

Restart Your iPhone

Another quick fix to try is restarting your iPhone. A simple restart can clear temporary glitches or minor software bugs that might be causing your text messages to disappear. It’s a fast and easy way to refresh your system and possibly bring back missing messages.

Restart the Message App

Besides the device, try restarting the Messages app and see if the problem gets fixed. To do that:

• If your iPhone has a Home button, double-tap it, find the Messages app, and swipe it up to close it. Then open it again to check your messages.
• If your iPhone doesn’t have a Home button, swipe up from the bottom and pause in the middle. Find Messages and swipe it up to close. Open it again and see if your messages are back.

Turn Off iMessage and Turn It On Again

You can turn off iMessage and MMS in Settings, then turn them back on to fix any glitches that might be causing your iPhone messages to disappear.

1. Go to Settings and click the Messages option.
2. Check the active buttons which show iMessage and MMS Messaging are on.
3. Disable the two services for some seconds and then enable them again.

Enable and Disable Airplane Mode

Turning on the Airplane mode and then turning it off is another quick solution to this iPhone messages disappeared problem.

• Open the Control Center and tap the icon for the Airplane mode to turn it on.
• Give the device a few seconds and then disable the Airplane mode.
• Now, head to your Message app and check if the disappeared messages are retrieved.

Turn iCloud Messages Off & On

If you use Messages in iCloud, sometimes messages can disappear because of syncing problems. Make sure that your iPhone is connected to the internet and Messages is on in iCloud settings. You can also try turning Messages in iCloud off and on again to fix it.

1. Head to Settings and tap on your name.
2. Next, click on iCloud > Messages and then turn it off.
3. Wait for a few seconds and turn the switch back on.

Check Message History Settings

You can set an iPhone to keep messages for a certain period of time. It can be 30 days to a year or permanently. So, you may consider checking these settings if your iPhone messages disappeared. Change it to keep the message in your phone’s storage forever. To do that:

1. Launch Settings and head to Message.
2. Find the Keep Messages option and then tap it.
3. There will be three options to choose from: 30 days, 1 Year, or Forever.
4. Choose the last option. The messages on your iPhone should now stop getting deleted automatically.

Update Your iPhone

When your iPhone runs on an older iOS version, it can always experience some unexpected errors. Therefore, if the above solutions haven’t worked, check and update your iPhone’s iOS to the latest version. To check for available software updates for your iPhone:

1. Open Settings. Go to the General option and click it.
2. Next, click on Software Update.
3. Click on Download and Install option if there's any new update.

When the update is done and your iPhone restarts, go to your inbox and check whether the lost messages are back or not.

Reset All Settings

Resetting all settings can also fix the problem of missing iPhone messages. This won’t delete your data, but it will reset all settings to their defaults, which can remove any bugs causing the issue.

1. Launch Settings and open General.
2. Head to the Transfer or Reset iPhone option and tap Reset.
3. Finally, tap the Reset All Settings option. That’s it!

Restore Disappeared iPhone Messages from Backup

If you still can’t find your messages, see if you made a backup before they disappeared. If your missing messages are in your latest iCloud or iTunes backup, you can reset your iPhone and restore it from that backup to get your messages back.

Restore iCloud Backup

• Head over to iPhone Settings and then General, click Transfer or Reset iPhone and tap on Erase All Content and Settings.
• Your iPhone will reboot and set up as new device. In the Apps & Data Screen, choose Restore from iCloud Backup.
• Sign into your iCloud account and choose the backup that contains the messages you want to restore.
• When the iCloud restore process is completed, you can check the missing messages on your iPhone.

Restore iTunes Backup

• Connect your iPhone to the computer with USB cable and open iTunes. On Mac running macOS Catalina or above, open Finder.
• When your iPhone is detected successfully, click on the device icon.
• Click Restore Backup. Choose the resent backup and click Restore to confirm.

Note

Restoring from an iCloud or iTunes backup will erase all the current data on your iPhone. This means anything added after the last backup could be lost. To avoid data loss, make sure to back up your latest data before restoring.

[Ultimate Solution] Get Messages Back from iPhone without Any Backup

If none of the methods above bring back your missing messages, you can try using a professional iPhone data recovery tool. As long as the messages are still stored in your iPhone’s internal memory and haven’t been overwritten, recovery is possible.

FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery is a powerful tool that can scan your device deeply to find and recover lost messages. It also allows you to extract just your message conversations from an iCloud or iTunes backup without needing to restore the entire backup.

Here’s how to recover disappeared/missing messages on iPhone without backup:

Step 1. Install and run the iPhone data recovery software and select the Recover Data from iOS Devices mode. This mode can effectively help users who do not have any backup.

Step 2. Now, connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable and wait for the problem to detect the device.

Step 3. When the device gets detected, choose Messages or other data that you need to recover and click Scan.

Step 4. After scanning, the disappearing text message will be displayed. Check the messages you want to get back and click Recover to save them to your computer.

How to Avoid Messages Disappearing on iPhone?

To avoid the frustration of losing iPhone text messages in the future, here are some tips to help you keep your messages safe and secure:

• Back Up Your iPhone Regularly: Use iCloud or connect your iPhone to a computer with iTunes or Finder to back up your data often. This helps keep your messages and other files safe.
• Turn On iCloud for Messages: Make sure iCloud sync for Messages is turned on so your texts stay up to date across all your Apple devices.
• Don’t Jailbreak Your iPhone: Jailbreaking or using unofficial apps can make your phone unstable and cause data loss. Stick with official iOS updates and apps from the App Store.
• Watch Out for Malware: Keep your iPhone updated and avoid opening suspicious links or files. Malware can delete or mess up your messages.

By following these tips, you can keep your iPhone text messages safe and reduce the chances of dealing with missing or disappearing messages in the future.

The Bottom Line

Don't panic if your iPhone messages have disappeared. Just go through the settings and solutions mentioned above to troubleshoot the issue. For a quicker and more reliable fix, you can use FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery to recover missing or deleted messages even without a backup. It’s also great for restoring accidentally deleted messages and other types of data on your iPhone or iPad.