WhatsApp Chat Restore: How to Recover WhatsApp Deleted Chats On Android & iPhone

Here are the steps to retrieve deleted WhatsApp chats on iPhone and Android.

Know how to retrieve deleted WhatsApp chats

(Image: iStock)

There have been times when we wonder how to retrieve lost or deleted messages on WhatsApp. It is not that difficult to recover deleted or missing WhatsApp messages depending on the situation.

The first thing that people often forget to do is enable Chat Backup in the app's settings. This will help prevent the chats from getting deleted automatically. The steps to do so are:

1. Open Settings (on the bottom bar of the iPhone app; in the three-dot menu at the top-right on Android).

2. Then click on Chats > Chat backup. This will also show you when WhatsApp last created a backup. In case you never created a backup, you won't be able to recover any messages.

3. You can choose the frequency of backup like Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Off

You choose the right backup frequency depending on your needs. You will be able to retrieve the deleted messages accordingly. WhatsApp deletes older backup files as you create new ones and the iPhone app only keeps the latest backup file, while the Android version keeps "up to the last seven days' of backup files.

How to Retrieve Older Deleted Chats on WhatsApp?

1. Open a file explorer app on your Android device.

2. Click on WhatsApp/Databases.

3. From the list of backup files, copy the recent one and paste it into the internal storage of Database folder.

4. Now, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp on your Android phone and log in.

5. When prompted, tap the Restore option to recover all your deleted or missing chats from the local backup.

How to Recover Deleted Chats On iPhone?

• Uninstall WhatsApp by choosing Remove App > Delete App.

• Go to the App Store and reinstall WhatsApp on your phone.

• Open the app and verify your phone number.

• Follow the prompts to recover your deleted or missing messages from iCloud.