All of the providers retained records of the date and time of the text message and the parties to the message for time periods ranging from sixty days to seven years. However, the majority of cellular service providers do not save the content of text messages at all.
Some phone companies also keep records of sent text messages. They sit on the company's server for anywhere from three days to three months, depending on the company's policy.
You can only recover messages and conversations that you deleted within the last 30 to 40 days.
The real text message, the real content has been deleted,” Cao explained. “You won't be able to recover the older things after a certain time.” While some carriers may save this metadata for a longer period than others, the actual messages may be gone, even if law enforcement needs them.
When you delete a piece of data from your device — a photo, video, text or document — it doesn't vanish. Instead, your device labels that space as available to be overwritten by new information.
Carriers have an extensive database to keep messages even after it has been deleted. Hence, you can reach out to your carrier to retrieve deleted text messages from another phone for free. Some carriers do not give direct access to sleeted text messages.
Can Police Read Text Messages That Have Been Deleted? Deleted text messages are usually retrievable from a phone, but before beginning the process, law enforcement officers would need to obtain a court order.
If you simply delete a text, they are still available. And there are common forensics tools used by both law enforcement and civil investigators to recover them.
Restore Texts from a Computer Backup
Check when the last backup was made on the computer. If the date of the backup is before you accidentally deleted the texts, you can restore that backup to your phone, and the text messages will be restored as well.
Long-press the message thread you'd like to remove. It will highlight with a checkmark. Tap on the trash can icon at the bottom and confirm.
Your provider or "carrier" keeps records of your cellphone use, including calls and text messages, and even pictures sent from your phone. Almost all cellphone carriers give detailed information about a phone's use in billing statements sent to the owner.
How far back can phone records be traced? A federal regulation requires landline providers to store call detail records 18 months, but wireless companies store the records for shorter – or significantly longer – periods of time.
Here's How Long Your Wireless Carrier Holds on to Your Location Data. AT&T keeps cell-site location information for up to five years; Verizon drops it after one.
Keeping Your Data Secure
The answer is yes—by using special tools, they can find data that hasn't been overwritten yet. However, by using encryption methods, you can ensure your data is kept private, even after deletion.
Recover deleted text messages on a Samsung Galaxy phone
When you delete a text message on your Samsung phone, the Messages app sends it to Recycle bin for 30 days. After a month, the Recycle bin permanently deletes the message. Open the Messages app on your Samsung phone.
(§ 901(b)(11) ). You can authenticate text messages by presenting: a “copy,” a screenshot, photo, or print-out of the message that includes identifying information that links the message to the texter, and. testimony or affidavit that the copy is a true and accurate representation of the text messages.
The good news is that any Telstra iPhone customer that backs up their iPhone via iTunes has the ability to transfer their text messages to computer (as well as recover whatever deleted SMS messages and iMessages are available) with Decipher TextMessage.
All of the providers retained records of the date and time of the text message and the parties to the message for time periods ranging from sixty days to seven years. However, the majority of cellular service providers do not save the content of text messages at all.
Australia's new data retention laws mean phone and internet companies have to save this information for two years: that's every time you call someone, where you call them from, which cell tower your phone pings every time it connects to the internet, and more.
Call your phone company.
Ask them if you can get a copy of the phone records and tell them the dates. You'll probably be asked questions to prove that you are the owner of the account. For example, you might have to provide your account number, phone number, address, and PIN or Social Security Number.
The texts and emails you send are out there forever once you hit send. Sending texts and messages are ubiquitous now, but deleting them is nearly impossible because they are saved in the cloud or on someone's phone.
“iPhones store the 1,000 most recent calls, regardless of how old they are. On the phone itself, however, you are only able to see the last 100 calls. This limit cannot be changed,” says Koster. “If you want to look farther back into your call history, you can remove some of the most recent entries.
Your mobile data history is accessible to your mobile service provider. They can see when and how much data you use, as well as your general location (based on which cell tower you're connected to).