WhatsApp has established itself as the most widely used instant messaging app in the world, indispensable in the daily lives of millions of people. Its ease of use and the ability to exchange messages, photos, videos, audios, and documents allow us to accumulate valuable information in our conversations. However, the delete message feature, while useful for erasing accidental messages or correcting errors, can cause real headaches when you or someone else deletes important messages you want to keep or that spark your curiosity.
Have you ever accessed a conversation and encountered the annoying notification of "This message has been deleted"The feeling of intrigue about what that message said is universal. Fortunately, there are several methods and tricks that can restore the content of those deleted messages. Below, you'll find a complete and updated guide to view deleted WhatsApp messages on Android and iOS, explaining how the main tools work, the steps to follow, and the limitations or risks you should be aware of.
Why do messages disappear on WhatsApp?
When a user uses the delete message feature in WhatsApp, the content is deleted from both the sender and recipient's devices. You can also lose messages after changing phones, due to lack of storage, due to sync errors, or even after restoring an incomplete backup. WhatsApp completely deletes these messages from its servers., that is, there is no official support to recover them once they have disappeared, at least from the app itself.
However, messages often trigger notifications on your device before they are deleted, and that is the key to many recovery methods. The idea is to take advantage of the notification log or in making intelligent use of the backup.
How to view deleted WhatsApp messages: all the methods
Below, we'll delve into the different ways to recover and view deleted WhatsApp messages. We'll analyze the options available for Android and iOS, ranging from using notification history, specialized apps, and even leveraging backups.
1. Using notification history on Android
On many recent Android devices, there is a built-in feature called notification history which stores all received notifications, including those from WhatsApp. This way, even if a message has been deleted by its sender, it's possible to view it in this log if it generated a notification before being deleted.
To enable and view notification history on Android:
- Go to Settings on your phone.
- Go to Notifications and look for the option Notification history o Notification log.
- Turn it on to start saving all future notifications.
- When you receive a deleted message, go to your history to see what that WhatsApp notification said.
Remember that:
- You will only be able to see messages that have generated a notification (if you had the conversation open, no notification is created).
- The history generally shows the first 100 characters of the message (Android limitation).
- The method does not work to recover multimedia content (photos, videos, audios, stickers).
If your phone does not have notification history, there are third-party apps such as Notification Log o Notification History, but you should be careful with the privacy permissions they require.
2. Third-party apps: Apps to view deleted messages on WhatsApp
The most widespread and efficient method to view deleted WhatsApp messages is to install a third party application Specialized in monitoring notifications and storing received messages, even if they are later deleted. Some of the most popular and secure apps are:
- WhatsRemoved +This app is free and very easy to use. When you install it, you just need to grant the necessary permissions to access notifications. WhatsRemoved+ saves all types of messages (text, photos, videos, stickers, audios, GIFs) that come into WhatsApp and notifies you if any have been deleted. You can configure which folder the logs will be saved in to keep them organized.
- WAMR: An app similar to WhatsRemoved+, it also records messages and media files. It also allows for the recovery of messages from other messaging and notification apps.
- Notification Log: Focused on recording notification history for all apps, including WhatsApp.
- Notification History: A lightweight and simple alternative to checking saved WhatsApp notifications.
Advantages of using these apps:
- They allow you to view both text messages and deleted multimedia content.
- Organized storage and instant notifications when someone deletes or edits messages on WhatsApp.
- In many cases, you can access deleted messages even if you didn't have WhatsApp open.
Disadvantages and precautions:
- Compromised Privacy: These apps need permission to access your notifications. The risk is that they may also have access to sensitive data from other apps.
- They do not respect end-to-end encryption: Recovered content loses its original WhatsApp protection.
- They only recover messages deleted after installing the app: If they were deleted before, they will not appear in the logs.
- Possible device slowdown: Some apps may consume resources, resulting in lower performance or higher battery consumption.
- Always check reviews and download only from official stores: Some apps may contain malware or make fraudulent use of your data.
- Using third-party apps may violate WhatsApp policies, although there are generally no serious consequences if you use safe and recognized apps.
How to use WhatsRemoved+ step by step
- Download the WhatsRemoved+ app from the Google Play Store.
- Install and accept permissions for access to notifications and storage.
- Explore the settings and select WhatsApp from the apps you want to monitor.
- When you receive a deleted message, open WhatsRemoved+ to view its contents. The app will store all your history in the folder you choose.
Don't forget that this method is only available for Android. On iOS, the system severely limits third-party apps' access to notifications for privacy and security reasons. No equivalent app has been found on iPhone that can recover deleted WhatsApp messages via notifications.
3. Recovering messages using WhatsApp backups
WhatsApp automatically backs up your chats, either to the cloud (Google Drive for Android, iCloud for iOS) or to your device's local storage. These backups offer an alternative way to recover deleted messages, although they have significant limitations:
- They only work if the message was deleted after the last backup.
- If you restore a backup, You will lose messages received after the date of that copy.
- Media content cannot always be restored.
How to restore deleted messages from a backup
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Backup.
- Check the date and time of the last backup saved to Google Drive or iCloud.
- If the deleted message was present in that backup, uninstall WhatsApp from your device.
- Reinstall WhatsApp, verify your number, and follow the steps to restore your backup.
- When the restore is complete, you'll see your messages as they were at the time of the backup.
This method works for both Android and iPhone, although it's not as straightforward and may cause the loss of more recent messages. It's especially useful if you accidentally deleted an entire conversation or need to recover important information from past conversations.
Key Tips for Backups
- Set up automatic backups on a daily basis to protect yourself against unforeseen events.
- Choose cloud for added security (Google Drive or iCloud), or local for added privacy and manual control.
- Keep in mind the amount of space required: If you have a lot of chats or media files, the backup size may be large.
- If you use local storage, keep the SD card where the backup is saved if you change devices.
4. Manually restore the WhatsApp database on Android
More advanced users can attempt to manually restore their message history by accessing the WhatsApp database folder on Android. Files are stored in the internal storage ("WhatsApp/Databases"). msgstore.db.crypt corresponding to automatic copies of the last few days.
Basic steps:
- Open a file explorer and navigate to the WhatsApp/Databases folder in your internal storage.
- Copy the file from the date you want to restore messages to (for example, msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12).
- Rename it msgstore.db.crypt12.
- Uninstall WhatsApp, reinstall it, and during setup, select Restore from Local Backup.
This method is technical, requires caution to avoid damaging the database, and is only compatible with Android. It can be useful if you need to recover specific messages from past days and don't want to lose other data.
5. Recover archived chats on WhatsApp
Not all hidden chats have been deleted: WhatsApp offers the option to archive conversations, which only hides them from the home screen. If you've lost an important chat, check if it's archived first before looking into more advanced recovery methods.
- On iOS: Scroll down the chat list and access the "Archived" section.
- On Android: Select “Archived” at the top of the main chat screen.
- You can unarchive any chat by tapping on it and selecting the appropriate option.
Limitations and risks of recovering deleted messages on WhatsApp
While the proposed solutions are quite effective, it is important to keep in mind certain limitations and risks:
- Third-party apps only store notifications from the moment they're installed. They can't recover messages deleted before they're installed.
- Often, only texts are recovered, not media files, and only if the message generated a notification.
- Privacy may be compromised: By granting access to your notifications, you could also expose sensitive information to third-party developers.
- Using these apps may violate WhatsApp's terms of service and, in very rare cases, lead to measures such as a temporary account ban.
- Restoring backups means losing more recent messages.
For this reason, it is recommended to use only secure, updated applications downloaded from the official Google store.
Frequently asked questions about recovering deleted messages on WhatsApp
- Where are deleted WhatsApp messages stored? WhatsApp completely deletes deleted messages from its servers. They are not stored or cached; copies can only be kept in your local backup or in the cloud.
- Can deleted messages be recovered without a backup? Only if you had notification history or a third-party app enabled before the message was deleted. Otherwise, they cannot be recovered.
- Are external applications safe? Some do, but they require access to notifications and data. Download only from official sites, check reviews, and verify that the app is legitimate.
- What happens to archived chats? Archiving is not the same as deleting. You can restore an archived chat by simply tapping the corresponding section in the app.
- Where are backups stored? On Android, you can set it to save locally or to Google Drive; on iPhone, to iCloud. See WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Backup.
Remember, the best protection against losing important messages is in keep automatic backups active and regularly checking your archived chats. Thanks to these methods and tools, you can keep track of any messages that have been deleted in your WhatsApp conversations, whether by mistake or by the other person's decision. From logging notifications to restoring backups and using third-party apps responsibly, you have several solutions tailored to each situation. Always ensure the security and privacy of your data and keep your backups up to date so you don't lose any relevant data on your device.