Does Icloud Save Deleted Text Messages? Exploring Data Retention

“Do deleted messages continue to occupy space in your iCloud storage? When you delete messages, it’s essential to be patient and allow some time for the iCloud server to clear them and update your device’s storage status. To ensure an accurate assessment of your available iCloud storage space, we recommend waiting for a period before checking it again. As of June 12, 2023, please remember that it may take a little while for these changes to reflect in your iCloud storage.”

When you delete messages from your Apple device, they are removed from your device almost immediately. However, it’s essential to note that Apple takes a precautionary measure by retaining these deleted messages in iCloud for a duration of thirty days, as of February 2, 2023. This means that even though the messages are no longer visible on your device, they are still accessible via iCloud during this thirty-day period. This practice helps users recover accidentally deleted messages or data within a limited timeframe, providing an extra layer of data protection and convenience.

“Have you ever wondered where your deleted text messages end up on iCloud? To retrieve deleted text messages from your iPhone or iPad, follow these steps. First, open the Messages app and navigate to the conversations page. If you’ve enabled Message Filtering before, you might notice that the Edit button is missing. In such cases, simply tap on ‘Filters’ on the conversations page. Next, tap on ‘Show Recently Deleted.’ This process allows you to access and recover deleted text messages. As of August 31, 2023, these steps should help you retrieve your deleted messages from iCloud.”