How to Recover Deleted Messages from Snapchat Account [iPhone & Android]

One of the features that attracted social media users to Snapchat is the automatic deletion of messages. By design, all messages sent through the platform are deleted as soon as the sender and recipient leave the chat. This greatly alleviates privacy concerns and can help you let your friends participate in your most private moments without leaving much of a digital footprint.

However, there may be times when you want to recover those old messages. It could be a memorable conversation with a loved one, contact information for a client, or even information that could be useful in legal matters.

So how can you recover those old messages? In this guide, we are going to show you how to recover deleted messages on Snapchat.

Why is recovering messages in Snapchat more difficult?

Snapchat has been at the forefront of giving social media users more control over the content they send, including text, photos and videos. The platform is one of the few social media platforms to use ephemeral messaging. But what is it ?

Ephemeral messaging is a type of chat or conversation that self-destructs. Messages are automatically deleted once the receiver has opened and viewed them.

With ephemeral messaging, you can control how long a message stays in someone's inbox, a feature barely offered by regular text messaging or chat programs. It allows you to send thoughts that you would keep to yourself if you knew they might stick around longer and, most likely, come back to haunt you.

Plus, sending self-destructing 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 device running smoothly.

In contrast, Snapchat's ephemeral messaging means you can lose valuable data as quickly as you receive it. There may be messages you want to keep longer. It can be anything from memorable photos, eye-catching text to work progress reports.

Although the Snapchat app doesn't offer a way to retrieve these messages from your chats, you can easily get your hands on any message you've ever sent, with a few workarounds.

Let's see how you can recover deleted messages depending on the type of device you are using.

How to Recover Deleted Snapchat Messages from Android Phone

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

Method 1: Open your device's cache

Before trying anything complex, you can use your Android's built-in recovery tools.

Whenever you close Snapchat or any other app on your phone, Android devices are programmed to delete recent memory immediately and you will need to reload the app to run it again. It can take a long time if your data connection is not strong and can lead to lags, screen locks, crashes, power issues, etc. To avoid these issues, your phone caches content for quick access.

Android cache retains recently used or "hot" data that would otherwise require slow retrieval from overloaded storage media. It also stores infrequently accessed information close to the processor, where it is more readily available for immediate access. More importantly, your Snapchat messages are temporarily cached soon after they are deleted from your chats.

Here's how to recover deleted messages from your device's cache:

1. Connect your Android device to a PC using a USB cable.
   
2. Once your PC has recognized your device, open your device's settings folder and navigate to "Android".
   
3. Click on “Data”.
   
4. Look for a file named “com.Snapchat.android”
   
5. Open the cache folder and select the messages you want to recover.
   
6. Click "Recover".
   

After following these steps, you will be able to recover your messages and view them without the usual restrictions. However, you can only retrieve the most recent messages using this method. Old cached data is deleted over time.

Method 2: Using File Manager

If you don't have a PC, you can still recover deleted messages from your phone's internal memory. Here's how:

1. Open the file manager on your device. If you don't have the file manager installed on your device, you can easily get a copy from Google Play.
   
2. Go to "Android".
   
3. Click on “Data”.
   
4. Open the file named “com.snapchat.android”.
   
5. Rename all files with the extension “.nomedia”.
   
6. After renaming all files, you should be able to open any file you want and view your messages.

Method 3: Submit a data request with Snapchat

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 easily recover all types of data exchanged through your account including photos, text, and videos.

Here is how to also use Snapchat data recovery to recover your messages:

1. Visit the Snapchat My Data page and enter your credentials.
   
2. After logging in, you should be automatically redirected to the "My Data" page, where you will be presented with a list of recoverable data items. Select the items you want to recover.
   
3. Press "Submit Request".
   
4. After submitting a data request, Snapchat admins will immediately dive into your records to retrieve the data you requested. You will then receive the data by e-mail, usually in zipped format.
   
5. Once you receive the zip file, tap and hold it, then select "Extract".
   
6. Navigate to the folder containing the extracted files and open a file named "Mydata".
   
7. Tap on the “index.html” file. You will now be able to see all of your deleted Snapchat messages.
   

Method 4: Using Dedicated Third Party Recovery Tools

If you don't want to recover your Snapchat messages using the manual methods we talked about, you'll be happy to hear that there are third-party apps that can do all the work for you. Although there are several options to choose from, Android Data Recovery Tool is widely recommended. Here's how to use it:

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. Once the software detects your Android device, you should be able to see a list of data types you want to recover displayed on the screen.
   
5. Check the box next to "Messages" and click "Next".
   
6. Click "Recover All Files" and click "Next".
7. At this point, the software will scan your device for all deleted messages and then display all recoverable data. All you have to do is click the "Recover" button next to an item to recover it and save it to your computer.

Recover Deleted Snapchat Messages on iPhone

If you have an iPhone or any other device from the large iOS family, you can easily recover deleted snaps using third-party tools. Although there are several alternatives, we will look at two of the most popular apps: FoneLab and iBeesoft iPhone Data Recovery.

Method 1: Using FoneLab

FoneLab was first launched to help iPhone users recover their data from a dead or faulty handset. It now offers a wider range of different services, including device repair, file backup services, and everything related to Apple devices.

Here is how to use this tool to recover lost Snapchat messages:

1. Download and install FoneLab on your computer.
   
2. Connect your iPhone to your PC using a USB cable.
   
3. Once the software detects your device, a "Start Scan" button will appear on your iPhone screen. Tap on it to start the recovery process.
   
4. Once the scan is complete, all recoverable items will be displayed on your screen. Select "Snapchat messages".
5. Select the messages you want to recover, then tap "Recover".
6. Choose the destination folder and then wait for the software to recover your messages.

Method 2: Using iBeesoft iPhone Data Recovery

iBeesoft iPhone Data Recovery is a professional iOS data recovery software for all Apple mobile devices. It quickly recovers photos, messages, contacts, text notes, videos, etc. Here is how to use the software to recover your snaps:

1. Download and install the Software on your computer.
   
2. Connect your iPhone to your PC using a USB cable.
   
3. Once the software detects your device, a "Recover from iOS Device" button will appear on your PC screen. Click on it to start the recovery process.
   
4. Click "Scan" to confirm.
   
5. After the scan is complete, all recoverable items will be sorted into categories and displayed on your screen.
6. Select "Snapchat Messages", then click "Recover".
7. One of the best things about iBeesoft iPhone Data Recovery app is that you can also recover data from your iTunes or iCloud backups. You just need to select the desired source while initiating the recovery process. For example, to recover items from your iTunes backups, simply click "Recover from iTunes" in step three above.

Retrieve your messages safely and securely

If you deleted a message on Snapchat and want to recover it, both built-in and third-party tools can help you. That said, it's important to choose a trusted tool that won't harm your messages or even damage the rest of your device's data.

Have you tried recovering your Snapchat messages using any of the methods described in this article? We would love to hear about it. Please share your experience in the comments section below.