How to access Text Messages from Old Phone Number?

Have you recently switched your phone, and do you want to transfer all of your Text messages and personal data to your new phone? Thanks to the rapid development of technology in iPhone and Android, it is now an easy and hassle-free option with several ways to transfer data from one phone to another.

Here are some of the easiest and convenient ways to access Text messages from an old phone number:

Backup from iCloud (iPhone only)

iCloud saves text messages, conversations and they can be restored quickly without overwriting any additional information on the device.

Log in to the iCloud account with your username and password. It is the same email and password you previously used to set up your iPhone and connect to iTunes.
There will be options to select your required backup applications from the home screen, like messages, photos, and passwords. Suppose there is no “Messages” option. In that case, it means your text messages were not backed up separately (it is a limitation of your phone carrier by companies, not a problem with your device). If the text messages do not appear on backup, they should still be available in your previous iPhone and just haven’t been backed up.

If you get the “Messages” tile, search for the text messages you want to get access to and recover. The messages must show up in iCloud backup to restore them to your new iPhone.
On the iPhone, select Settings > Apple ID (should be the same ID of old iPhone) > click iCloud > then toggle the switch next to “Messages” on the right side of the screen to switch Messages off.
From the pop-up at the bottom of your screen, iCloud will ask what to do with the messages on your phone. Select “Keep on my phone.”

Click the “Messages” toggle button again to turn Messages on.
From the pop-up at the bottom of your screen, iCloud will ask what to do with the backup messages on your iPhone. Select “Merge” to merge all texts on your iPhone with the texts stored in iCloud backup.
Open the Messages application and check if the deleted texts have been restored to the phone.

From Google Backup (For Android)

Although you can access the Google backup of your text messages from the old phone, you cannot restore it directly. For this, reset your phone. After that, Google will automatically start recovering all your old text messages and other data.

Make sure to backup your existing data before factory resetting your phone, as it can be dangerous and should be your last option. We recommend many softwares for restoring data, but Tenorshare UltData for Android is recommended and reliable for android devices. Its powerful “Recover Data from Google Drive” feature enables you to selectively restore Google Drive backup messages without factory resetting your device.

Here is an easy step-by-step guide:

Install UltData for Android, run this application and select the feature “Recover Google Drive Data.”

Sign in to your Google account(it should be the same as your previous phone to recover exact data) and then select the data type you would like to recover. Here we choose Messages and click Start to scan data.
After scanning, previewing and selecting the messages, you need to restore them to your computer.

Restore old Text messages without backup

If you have not backed up your Text messages and switched to a new phone, there are still ways around to get your important Text messages back. But you have to make sure that you try these methods as soon as possible, so you’ll have better chances of success.

Contact Carrier

Carrier companies such as AT & T and Verizon save your conversation for a short period of time, and it is possible that you can get your texts back by contacting them as soon as possible.

AT&T keeps text messages on its servers for up to 48 hours to make sure they are sent.

Verizon has text messages, has servers for cycling in and out, and does not hold texts for any defined amount of time. The chances of getting back texts are low but giving it a try is not a bad option. Verizon requires a court subpoena to release text messages.
T-Mobile does not promise if it stores text messages or not.

This option is for a limited time, but it can’t hurt to ask if the message is essential to you.

Using Recovery Software

These are probably the last hope for getting access to your old text messages. These are Android and Apple-supported softwares that offer recovery services. Still, it is a paid service, and it can get expensive sometimes.

iSkysoft – This US-based software application offers recovery services for Apple devices, including iPad, iPhone, iPod touch five, and further. To access message recovery services, you will need to purchase iSkysoft Toolbox IOS Data Recovery software for $79.95, or you can buy a premium for only full suite for $159.95. While the premium software is an expensive option, they offer technical support over the phone and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Dr. Phone is an iPhone Data Recovery appl and an Android Data Recovery application. These applications are also available for both PC and Mac, and they can be purchased for $60 each. Dr. Phone offers a seven-day free trial of their software and a support page where users can ask queries related to restoring data.

FonePaw is a data recovery application that recovers deleted texts, photo or video attachments contained in conversations. All files are exported into CSV or HTML files format that can be saved for safekeeping. FonePaw can be purchased for $49.90. There are many videos and tutorials online to assist users in retrieving their text messages. Still, there is no human, technical support offered.

Check with Recipient or Sender

So if you are texting someone, you are taking part in a conversation, and the messages are saved on other people’s devices. If you accidentally delete text messages from one device, try contacting other people in the conversation., ask them if they still have that particular text, video, message, or photo. Suppose they still have it on their device. In that case, they can resend it to you, and you have effectively recovered that text message or any other important document.

How many text messages can be recovered?

Basically, the quicker you take SMS recovery solutions after deleting a text, the higher chance you’ll recover the text message back to your phone. But the key that determines if you can recover the lost text messages depends on how fast you take action after this accident.

So, suppose you see that all old messages are disappearing randomly recently, or half of the old text conversations disappeared a long time ago. In that case, the message files you lost can be recovered on the condition that the newly deleted data have not been replaced. To gain possibilities in recovering the deleted text messages, stop writing any ongoing activity on your phone.

How do I back up text messages from an old phone?

We have discussed multiple ways to get your text messages back, and there are good chances that you will get it, And there are more various ways to do that.

You can turn on the Backup to Google Drive option to create copies of SMS messages in Google. The drive will keep the text updated and saved every time you make changes. If your primary concern is backing up and restoring SMS/ MMS messages whenever you please, try SMS Backup & Restore. Should you long for a program that doesn’t involve messing with your phone, Android Data Backup & Restore is an excellent choice. See: How to Back Up Android Phone Safely

How to restore your old text messages onto a new phone

As mentioned earlier in this article, you can use the backups in Google Drive to restore old text messages from your old to your new phone. Another workable way is to use the SMS Backup & Restore to transfer the backed-up messages onto the new phone. Suppose both fail and no old notes show up after restoring. Finally, consider getting old text messages sent from the old Android phone to your new phone using stand-alone third-party software. The third-party software offers paid service but is worth it as there are high chances that you will get your text messages or other lost data restored.

Conclusion

This article discussed various methods to access text messages from old phone numbers from Android and iPhone. In addition, you can try backing up from iTunes or iCloud, contacting carrier companies if texts have been deleted recently.

You can request the texts from the other user as the conversation is saved on two devices(sender and recipient), backing up from Google Drive, or lastly, using third-party software to recover your text messages and other personal data.

I hope these methods help you in getting access to your old text messages. If you have any other techniques to comment down on, we would love to look at them.