Lost iPhone contacts don’t need to stay lost forever.
Losing iPhone contacts can be quite a nuisance. You have to collect contact details from all the important people in your life again. You can never recover some old contacts, and if you lose your business contacts that’s even worse.
However, if you’ve accidentally deleted your iPhone contacts, all hope isn’t lost. There are three convenient means of recovering deleted contacts on iPhone.
Have you accidentally lost important contacts from your iPhone? You can recover those deleted contacts using one of the methods detailed below.
First, you can recover deleted contacts from an iCloud backup. Second, you can recover deleted contacts from an iTunes backup.
Finally, if none of those methods work, you can use a third-party application called Gihosoft iPhone Data Recovery to recover those lost contacts.
Now, read on to find out how these methods work.
Part 1: Restore deleted contacts from an iCloud backup
How to Retrieve Deleted Texts: Restore with iCloud Recovery
iCloud backups are a great way to recover deleted text messages from an iPhone. If you have ever backed up your iPhone to iCloud, you should be able to use this method to get back your deleted text messages. If you’re not already, you should be doing regular iCloud backups. It’s a good idea for saving ALL of your important stuff, not just messages that might potentially get deleted.
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Go to Settings.
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At the top under your name you’ll see Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes & App Store; click that arrow.
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Tap on iCloud.
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Scroll down and tap on iCloud Backup.
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Now check to see if the time of your last backup was before or after you deleted the texts you want back.
If the iCloud backup predates the deletion of your text messages, you’re in luck. Now you’ll need to erase your iPhone and restore it with the backup pre-dating your accidental text deletion.
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Go to Settings.
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Tap on General.
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Choose Reset.
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Select Erase All Content and Settings.
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In the confirmation menu that pops up, choose the second option: Erase Now and make sure not to choose Backup Then Erase or you will lose the previous backup and won’t be able to recover the deleted text messages!
Now your iPhone has been totally erased and will begin as though it’s a new device. Follow the step by step instructions until you come to the Apps & Data page.
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On the Apps & Data page, choose Restore from iCloud Backup.
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Enter any passwords asked for from iCloud Backup, then sign in to iCloud.
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Proceed to “Choose backup,” then choose from a list of available backups in iCloud. There may be even older backups to choose from besides the one you verified before starting. Choose the most recent one that predates the deletion of the text messages. Keep in mind that the older the backup, the more likely it is that it will not contain other important data that you’ve added to your iPhone since that backup was made.
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You may have to sign back in to all your accounts after the iPhone is restored.
Part 2: Restore deleted contacts from an iTunes backup
Recovery of Deleted Text Messages on iPhone: Restore from iTunes Backup
If the previous method of recovering deleted text messages didn’t work, don’t worry; there is another means to your end, namely iTunes. Similar to recovering from a backup on iCloud, you should be able to access any saved messages via iTunes, as long as you have been doing regular backups to your computer. This is why it is recommended to periodically back up your iPhone to iTunes even if you have automatic iCloud backups enabled. Follow these simple steps to try to recover deleted texts.
It is possible that you have disabled this feature of the PC / Mac syncing process, so if you don’t have access to your text messages here that could be why. You may want to update these settings so that going forward it is easier to recover deleted text messages on your iPhone.
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The first thing you need to do is connect your iPhone with the computer you usually sync it with. iTunes will open automatically if it’s not already running. If not, just click the program and open it up.
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When your iPhone appears in iTunes, click Summary.
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To get back the data backed up from your iPhone, including your deleted text messages, you will need to click “Restore Backup.” If this option is grayed out, you may need to change your backup preferences from iCloud to Computer. You can always change this back after you have restored your iPhone.
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This process can take a while if you have a lot of data stored on your phone or Mac. If you have done a sync with this PC or Mac since deleting your text messages this process will not work. iTunes only saves your most recent backup data for a restore.
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Assuming you have not done a sync with iTunes since you deleted your text messages, this method should restore those messages back to your Messages app!
Part 3
Recover Deleted Texts: Contact Your Service Provider
In some instances you can recover deleted text messages by contacting your cellular service provider. They occasionally will have access to a backup if it has not yet been overwritten or updated. If you are in a bind and really need messages back I would recommend you contact them before trying to use a third-party app or some other drastic measure.
When you call, you will need to ask for technical support and then ask to speak to a representative as there probably won’t be accurate menu prompts to take you to the right department. Remember, when dealing with customer service representatives you will want to be polite and reasonable. They may not be able to help you, but they will be more likely to try if you are pleasant and appreciative of their efforts!
At the end of this simple process, you will have lost all your most recent data, but you will have recovered your vital contact details.
However, if you want to find out how to recover contacts without losing any data, read on.
Part 4: How to recover deleted contacts without backup using Gihosoft Free iPhone Data Recovery
Tutorial – Restore Contacts on iPhone without Backup
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Step 1: Launch the program on computer and select “Contacts” that you need to recover.
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Step 2: Connect iPhone/iPad to computer via USB cable and start scanning device.
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Step 3: Preview recoverable data and retrieve deleted contacts from iPhone to computer.
Import Notes:
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If there’s an iTunes backup that matches the connected iDevice on your computer, the program will also scan the backup and allow you to retrieve contacts.
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As excellent iPhone contacts recovery software, Gihosoft iPhone Data Recovery will save your contacts in several readable formats for easily viewing or printing.
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Besides contacts, you can also use this software to recover deleted text messages on iPhone, as well as recover deleted photos and videos from iPhone, and more.
If you lost data after you updated to a new iPhone, you can always use Gihosoft iPhone Data Recovery to get the data back from the old iPhone or backup.You may also like: iphonerecovery.com
If you use android phones, please choose Gihosoft Android Data Recovery.
