WhatsApp was already the world's most popular instant messaging app when it implemented the option to delete sent messages in a chat. A very practical feature in certain situations, one that we've all used more than once. But what if we want to undo it? How can we recover deleted WhatsApp messages?
And it's true that we've often rushed into using the delete option and accidentally deleted a message. One we would have liked to keep, for whatever reason. We've all been there. The main fear, especially when it's important content, is that we might have lost it forever.
Recovering deleted messages on WhatsApp isn't easy. It's perhaps a little easier for Android users, as this system at least allows you to recover notification content , although it has quite a few limitations. There's also another method, which works equally well for both Android and iOS phones, based on phone backups.
The truth is, we won't always be able to recover what we've deleted, but with a bit of luck and by following the advice we explain below, we'll have a much better chance of success. Let's analyze all the possible solutions one by one:
Notification history
This method is only available for Android phones and may or may not work depending on your customization settings. Here's what you need to do to recover deleted WhatsApp messages:
- First of all, you have to press and hold the wallpaper of our mobile so that the main menu.
- In it, we go directly to Widgets.
- Next, click on the option «Settings» and we keep it pressed to be able to move it around the desktop.
- In the list that appears, we choose the option "Notification Log" (not to be confused with “notifications”), with which the widget will be displayed on the desktop with an icon, as if it were just another application.
- When we receive WhatsApp message notifications, click on the new icon Notification log to access them.
- The next thing is that a screen opens where a list appears with all the notifications received.
- Finally, there is only click on the WhatsApp notification that we want to read to view its content, even if it has been removed from the application.
It is important to know that this message retrieval system has some limitations :
- If the deleted message was received while we were using WhatsApp, no notification will have been generated, so it will be unrecoverable using this method.
- The content of the message that appears in the notification within the field android.text, only show the first ones 100 characters of the message.
- The notification is only available for certain hours. This means that we have a limited time to recover the deleted message.
Backups
This method works for both iOS and Android. Creating a backup is only useful for recovering messages stored in that backup. If those messages are deleted and a new backup is created, they will be gone. The best approach is to create these backups regularly and keep them for future reference.
A good trick to recover these backups is to uninstall the WhatsApp application and reinstall it . Doing so will automatically restore the latest backups associated with your phone number. In fact, you'll be asked this question explicitly during the installation process.
External applications
It's also possible to recover deleted WhatsApp messages using third-party apps . It's a very practical method, though not perfect. As with notifications, the recovered text won't exceed the 100-character limit. Another drawback of using apps is that they force you to share notification content and other personal data with third-party companies.
These are some of the most used applications to perform this task:
Notification History
A very useful tool that will help us keep a historical record of the notifications that arrive on our phone. It's important, however, to limit this function to WhatsApp, in order to prevent the app from flooding us with notification logs from other applications.
Link: Notification History
mSpy
This isn't an app designed solely for recovering WhatsApp messages, although that's one of the things you can also do with mSpy . Its only drawback is that its remote mobile tracking functionality (prohibited by law in many countries) means it may not be compatible with some devices.
Link: mSpy
WhatIsRemoved+
With this free application, we will be able to see all the deleted messages in WhatsApp, also those that contain a photo or file.
Link: WhatIsRemoved+