One of WhatsApp’s most popular app features includes the ability to delete messages with the tap of a finger.
WhatsApp introduced the “Delete for Everyone” feature this year as a way to delete messages about an hour after they were sent.
People often use this feature when they message the wrong chat or send the wrong thing.
However, our curiosity often gets the better of us when we receive deleted texts and wonder what is behind the mysterious message.
And luckily there are ways to expose it.
In addition, iOS and Android users will be happy to know that there are simple ways to identify accidentally deleted chats.
MailOnline details smart tricks to recover deleted WhatsApp messages stored on your phone using backup features.
iOS and Android apps
If you are still looking for a way to recover a deleted WhatsApp message that someone sent you, there are many apps designed to do the job.
And anyone can access deleted messages through a third-party app called Notification History, which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
However, there is a limit to these apps as only messages that have created notifications, seen or interacted with the device will be received.
However, be careful, especially if you choose to download proprietary apps from Google Play, as many apps contain malware that can infect the device.
These apps are often very difficult to use and are likely to be full of ads unless you opt for the paid version.
Delete the iOS app
First, before erasing on iOS, all users of the app should ensure that their WhatsApp messages are backed up to iCloud to restore them.
The next step is to delete WhatsApp from your phone and reinstall it using the App Store.
After the app is installed, sign in to your account again.
Now all you have to do is wait for the option to pop up to restore previously backed up messages.
When this option is selected, all WhatsApp messages will be recovered even if they have been deleted.
Android notification history settings
Those with Android 11 and above, powered by the latest devices, will be happy to know that deleted messages can also be recovered on their phones.
The notification history feature keeps track of every message received through WhatsApp stored on your phone.
You will need to go to Settings on your smartphone and select Apps and notifications.
After that, you will need to go to “Notifications”, find the “Notification History” option and press the button next to “Use Notification History”.
When this is complete, the list will show a history of all notifications received by the device, including text messages that were on WhatsApp before they were deleted.
If you want to go back to your deleted messages, all you have to do is go back to this part of your settings.
Restore WhatsApp Database on Android
There is an alternative way for Android users to recover WhatsApp messages through a database.
To get started, launch the file browser on your device.
Open the “WhatsApp” folder and navigate to “Database” where all the locally saved backup files of the application will be.
Next, you need to long press the “msgstore.db.crypt12” file to select it, then press “Change Name”. Rename to “msgstore backup.db.crypt12” so that the file is not overwritten.
Next, you need to select the latest backup file and change its name to “msgstore.db.crypt12”.
When you’re done, open Google Drive on your smartphone and select the menu option with three vertical lines in the top right.
Click on Backups and delete your WhatsApp backup.
You will need to uninstall WhatsApp and then reinstall – you will be prompted to restore WhatsApp from a local backup during installation as you no longer have a cloud backup.
When prompted, select the “msgstore.db.crypt12” file and click “Restore”.
How do you view archived WhatsApp chats?
The Archive Chat feature allows you to hide an individual or group chat from your WhatsApp chat list.
You may have accidentally archived conversations instead of deleting them, which means they can still be recovered.
For iphone:
Scroll to the bottom of your WhatsApp chats where a tab called “Archives” will appear.
– You can view archived chats by clicking here.
– Click the “Unarchive Chat” button in the upper right corner to retrieve your chats.
For Android devices:
Go to the top of the WhatsApp chat list and scroll down your screen and you will see the Archived Chats option.
– Select “Archived Chats” from the list and swipe right to select the chat you want to restore.
– Click Remove from archive.
Source: Daily Mail
Source: Arabic RT
