How to recover missing messages from your Google account

Have you ever accidentally deleted a text message you didn’t mean to and are now wondering if there’s a way to get it back? Chances are, yes. Fret not, we’ve been there too. And we’re here to tell you, its just as easy to recover them as well!

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Unlike some third-party messaging apps from manufacturers such as Samsung and Xiaomi, Google Messages, the default messaging app for most Android smartphones, doesn’t offer a built-in way to recover deleted messages. However, there’s a neat little workaround. If you have data backup to Google Drive enabled on your Android device, then you can easily restore and recover all your texts and conversations. Here’s how to view and recover your messages from your Google account.

How to view and recover deleted text messages on Android

In order to recover deleted messages using a Google Drive backup, you’ll need to do a factory reset, which as you might know, erases all your phone’s data. Therefore, before resetting your phone, make sure all your phone’s data is backed up to Google Drive with all your apps and data saved. Here’s a quick way to check when your last backup happened:

1. Go to ‘Settings’ 

2. Scroll down to ‘Google’ services 

3. Then, choose ‘Backup’ 

4. Under ‘Backup,’ you’ll be able to check the date and time of your last backup under the ‘Backup by Google One’ option, found just below Account Storage.

Now, if your latest backup includes the message you want, then it’s time to do a factory reset and restore from that backup. Here’s how to reset your phone and restore your messages:

1. Open the ‘Settings’ app on your phone. 

2. Then go into ‘System.’ 

3. Look for or search ‘Reset options’ 

4. Now, simply tap on ‘Erase all data’ and enter your PIN/ 

5. Tap ‘Erase all data’ to confirm. 

Once your phone restarts, simply log in with your Google account and choose the backup which contains your messages when prompted. Sometimes, messages in your Messages app might get archived instead of deleted. These are pretty easy to retrieve and the entire process takes little to no time.

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Here’s how to find and restore archived messages on Android:

1. Open the Messages app on your phone. 

2. Then, tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner. 

3. Tap on ‘Archived.’ 

4. Long-press the message you want to recover. 

5. Then, hit the up-arrow icon at the top.

How to enable backups on Android

To avoid the hassle of regularly backing up your phone’s data, you can enable automatic backups on your Android phone. Here’s how:

1. Open ‘Settings’ 

2. Then, go to ‘Google.’ 

3. Select ‘Backup.’ 

4. If this is your first time, turn on Backup by Google One. If you’ve already enabled backups, you’ll see the “Backup Now” button.