How to recover deleted messages from a Snapchat account [iPhone & Android]

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One feature that has brought social media users to Snapchat is the automatic message deletion. When the sender and receiver leave a chat, all messages are deleted. Users often feel that their messages are more secure because they disappear quickly. Most of the time, deleting messages is no big deal because we know that they will only exist for a short time on the platform.

However, there are times when you may want to recover those old messages. It could be a memorable chat with a loved one, contact details for a client, or even information that could be useful in legal matters. You can set Snapchat to save messages for 24 hours if you want, and you can also save them to Chat Media.

So how can you recover those old messages? In this guide, you will see how to recover deleted messages on Snapchat.

Why is it harder to recover messages on Snapchat?

Snapchat has been at the forefront of giving social media users more control over the content they send, including texts, photos and videos. The platform is one of the few social media platforms that uses ephemeral messages. But what is that?

Ephemeral messaging is a type of chat or conversation that self-destructs. Messages are automatically deleted after the recipient opens and views them.

With ephemeral messaging, you can control how long a message will last in someone’s inbox. It’s a feature that doesn’t exist on most text or chat platforms. This message allows users to send thoughts that they would otherwise keep to themselves due to concerns about those messages being leaked.

Plus, sending self-destruct messages means you can save storage space on your device. You won’t have to manually delete items every few days to free up space and keep your machine running optimally.

The downside is that Snapchat’s ephemeral messages mean you can lose valuable data as soon as you receive it. There may be messages that you want to keep longer. It can be anything from memorable photos and eye-catching text to work progress reports.

Although the Snapchat app does not offer a way to recover these messages from your chats, you can easily access those deleted messages thanks to some solutions. However, some messages cannot be recovered, depending on how much time has passed since you sent them. Of course, you can also save your chats to keep them, so that you no longer have to work hard to recover them later.

Let’s pe in and see how you can recover deleted messages depending on the device you are using.

How to Recover Deleted Snapchat Messages from Android Phone

If you own an Android device, you can recover deleted Snapchat messages in several ways:

Method 1: Open your device cache using PC (Windows/Mac/Linux)

Before trying anything complex, you may want to use your Android’s built-in recovery tools.

Whenever you close Snapchat or any other app on your phone, Android devices are programmed to discard recent memory immediately and you’ll have to reload the app to run it once again. This procedure can take a long time if your data connection is not adequate, causing lags, screen freezes, crashes, power issues, etc. Your phone caches some content for quick access to avoid these problems.

Android cache retains recently used or “hot” data that would otherwise require slow retrieval from a cluttered storage media. It also stores infrequently accessed information near the CPU, where it is more available for immediate access. Most importantly, your Snapchat messages are temporarily cached after being deleted from your chats.

Our goal here is to retrieve your messages from the cache bank. Here’s how to recover deleted messages from your device cache:

1. Connect your Android device to a PC using a USB cable.
   
2. Once your PC has recognized your device, open your device folder and navigate to Android.
   
3. Click on Data.
   
4. Find and click the file named com.snapchat.android.
   
5. Open the Cache folder and select the messages you would like to recover.
   
6. Click on Recover.
   

After completing these steps, you will be able to recover your messages and view them. However, you can only recover the most recent messages using this method. Older cached data is discarded as time passes.

Method 2: Open Android device cache

If you don’t have a PC, you can still recover deleted messages from your phone’s internal memory using a file explorer, such as Google Files. That is how:

1. Open Files (Google’s pre-installed file manager) or choose a third-party file explorer.
2. When using the Files app, scroll down and tap Internal storage.
3. Navigate to the Android -> Data -> com.snapchat.android direct path.
   
4. Rename all files that have the .without multimedia extension. Don’t add a new extension yet. If that process fails to identify the file or folder, try adding one, such as .TXT, .jpgeither .mp4.

Browse the files that appear to find missing Snapchat messages. If no files appear, your operating system has already discarded the cached files.

Method 3: Request Snapchat Data

Snapchat understands that you may want to view some of your messages after they have been automatically deleted. Therefore, they have set up a data recovery page where you can conveniently recover all types of data exchanged through your account, including photos, text, and videos.

Here’s how to use the Snapchat data recovery tool to recover your messages:

1. Visit Snapchat My data page and enter your credentials.
   
2. After logging in, you should be automatically redirected to My data page.
   
3. Scroll down and tap Send request.
   
4. You will then receive an email with a link to access your Snapchat data, usually in a compressed format. Click the link and download your data.
   
5. Right click on the downloaded zip file and choose to extract it. Depending on the compression software used, the options vary.
   
6. Navigate to the folder containing the extracted files and open a file named My data.
   
7. Select the index.html file. Now you will be able to see all your deleted Snapchat messages.
   

Method 4 – Using Third Party Dedicated Recovery Tools

If you don’t want to recover your Snapchat messages using manual methods, there are third-party apps that can do all the work for you. Although there are several options to choose from, such as Android Data Recovery Tool, they all have the same purpose. However, most recovery tools, like this one, require a payment to recover the data they find.

1. Download and install Android Data Recovery on your PC.
   
2. Launch the software and click Data recovery.
   
3. Connect your Android device to your PC.
   
4. After the software detects your Android device, you will see a list of data types you want to recover on the screen.
   
5. Check the box next to Messages and click Next.
   
6. Select Recover all files and click Next one more time.
7. At this point, the software scans your device for all deleted messages and then displays all recoverable data. All you need to do is click on the Recover next to an item to recover it and save it to your computer.

Recover deleted messages on Snapchat using an iPhone.

There is no built-in way to get deleted Snapchat messages on iPhone/iOS devices, especially since “.nomedia” is an Android-based feature to tell other apps to ignore the file. Anyway, you can use third-party tools to recover deleted snapshots on iOS. Although there are several alternatives, we will look at two of the most popular applications: FoneLab and iBeesoft iPhone Data Recovery.

1. Use FoneLab to Recover Deleted Snapchat Messages on iOS/iPhone

FoneLab Studio first launched FoneLab to help iPhone users recover their data from a dead or malfunctioning phone. It now offers a wider range of different services, including data repair, file backup services, and anything related to Apple device files. This app offers not only an annual subscription but also a lifetime license, unlike other apps.

Here’s how to use this tool to recover lost Snapchat messages:

1. Download and install FoneLab on your PC.
   
2. Connect your iPhone to your PC using a USB cable.
   
3. Once the software detects your device, tap the Start scan on your iPhone screen. The recovery process begins.
   
4. Once the scan is complete, all recoverable items appear on your screen. Choose BreakChat messages.
5. Inpidually select the messages you want to recover and tap Recover.
6. Choose the destination folderthen wait while the software retrieves your messages.

2. Using iBeesoft iPhone Data Recovery

iBeesoft iPhone Data Recovery is a professional iOS data recovery software for all Apple mobile devices. Quickly recover photos, messages, contacts, text notes, videos and more. There are several paid options to save the lost data you find. Here’s how to use the software to recover your snapshots:

1. Download and install the iBeesoft Phone Data Recovery on your Windows PC. There is also a link of the Mac version available below the download button.
   
2. Connect your iPhone to your PC using a USB cable.
   
3. Once the software detects your device, click Recover from an iOS device to start the recovery process.
   
4. Click on Scan to confirm.
   
5. Once the scan is completed, all recoverable items will be sorted into categories and displayed on your screen.
6. Select Snapchat messages and then click Recover.
7. You can also recover data from your iTunes or iCloud backups. You must select the desired source when starting the recovery process, such as Recover from iTunes.

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Finally, both built-in and third-party tools can help you if you have deleted a Snapchat message and want to recover it. That said, it is essential to choose a reliable tool that will not corrupt your messages or damage the rest of the data on your device. Don’t forget that third-party tools usually require payment to recover lost data. However, scanning is free. On the other hand, you can try manual methods to recover your Snapchat messages and not pay a cent!