How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages on Android

We’ve all been there at some point. Needing to find an old message that seemingly has disappeared. Did we delete it? Was it on my old device? Does my WhatsApp create copies of deleted conversations? If these sound similar to you at any point then this article is here to help.

There are several ways to recover deleted WhatsApp mesages on your Android although we’ll only focus on a couple, which should be more than enough for you to get up and running. The social giant makes it really easy to do as well, which is always helpful.

Method One:

Utilize WhatsApp’s built-in tools to help you backup your messages. When you first install and load WhatsApp onto your device, it will give you the option to back up your messages. But what if you decided against it and now want to use it? That’s simple.

• Open WhatsApp

• Navigate to “Menu” —> “Settings” —> “Chats” —> “Chat Backup”

• Choose an option which best suits your needs.

You’ll be presented with different backup schedules to choose from. You can select your device to backup daily, weekly or monthly. One of the great things here is that you can select “Google Drive” as an option to backup to. This means that even if you swap devices, all you need to do is log into your Google account and you’ll be able to restore all of your conversations.

It’s worth noting though that every time you perform a backup, either manually or automatically, it will replace the one previously stored in your Google Drive. While this is generally not a bad thing, if you deleted a message and then backed up your device, the new backup wouldn’t contain this message.

If you don’t currently backup your WhatsApp conversations then perhaps now would be the perfect time to start. It’ll allow you to stay covered in the event of needing to restore your message history, which brings us on to method two.

Method Two

Use an app or file manager. It’s really that simple. The Google Play Store is crawling with apps designed to help you recover lost data but the key is all within the timing. Most deleted data hangs around on your device for a limited period of time, after that is is lost forever. We’ve suggested Dr. Fone but there are many others to choose from.

Dr. Fone has many features, but also a few downsides. The pro’s are that it gives you your own recycle bin, just like you’re used to on a desktop computer. You can even decide how long content stays here before being permanently deleted. You can also access your data through your web browser, allowing you to sift through your device without needing to attach it with cables to your desktop. It’s a great way of restoring lost content.

Now for the downside. The app is advertised as free, and it is free to install. The problems surface when you actually try and recover certain data. You might be able to view most of your deleted messages, photos, videos etc but to actually restore them you’ll need to subscribe to the service, which carries a cost.

If you’re not desperate for a recovery right now, then we’d suggest method one. It’ll keep you secure and safe going forward and will ensure you’ll always have something to restore should you need to.