The iPhone is one of the most popular devices on the market. With its fingerprint scanner, touchscreen interface, and tons of cool apps, there's a reason it has become so popular. But as with any other device, it has drawbacks: It's not easy to search for old text messages using your fingers alone. You will have to resort to a few methods, depending on what you're using the device for. Here are some of the best ways to search for old texts, whether on the actual phone or your iPhone.
One of the most incredible things about having an iPhone is the access to Siri and the ability to ask her questions. For example, if you lost your phone and want to find it again, say, "Siri, find my phone." She'll tell you where she last detected it: Near my house or Morgan's house. You can also ask her where a specific location is or even what's playing at home. But what if you want to find an old text message? Go to the letters, and say, "Siri, find my text from so and so." Siri will search through all your notes and pull up the one you're looking for.
Spotlight search is a great way to access things you have on your phone without typing anything in. Spotlight search can be handy for certain types of information, like texts. Open up Settings>General>Spotlight Search. Here, you can type specific keywords or names into the provided box. Let's say you want to search for photos. Type "photos" into the box, and the iPhone will display all the images on your phone in an album-type layout. You can then scroll through these photos until you find the one you're looking for.
Rather than searching for specific text messages or names via Spotlight search, you can use keywords commonly used throughout your life. For example, if you have difficulty finding your cell phone when it rings, or even if it misplaces on top of your charger, saying, "Where's my phone?" works pretty well. "Where's my car?" will bring up a map of where your car is, and so forth.
What if you have an old text message from a friend and can't find it on their phone? Well, Google is to the rescue! All you need to do is perform a Google search of your friend's phone number. For example, let's say the number is 555-555-5555. Type that into Google, followed by "message," and it'll pull up the first ten results that match your query. You can use this method for any phone number (even landlines), though there are some limitations around international numbers.
You can use iTunes if you'd like to find old text messages from your iPhone on your computer. Select the message you want to view from the photo album, and then click File>Export As. If that doesn't work, you can also access the news via iCloud (more on that in a bit).
Two ways to access text messages that have been deleted on your iPhone: You can use iCloud (if connected to WiFi) or your iPhone's Find My iPhone app. To use either of these methods, go into Settings>General>iCloud and toggle On if it is. Then go to the iCloud settings and ensure it says "Find My iPhone" is On. If you have the Find My iPhone app installed on your iPhone, open it up and enter the phone number for your old iPhone. If you have lost it, you will have to enter the serial number (you can get this by going to Settings > General > About > tap on the 'Show Serial Number' option). Click on "Monitor" to activate tracking if it is disabled. The app will start tracking the location of your lost device!
Now that you've set up Find My iPhone and tracked down your phone, all that's left to do is click on "Forgot my password" and provide your Apple ID to get login information.
If you have iCloud Keychain enabled, you can also try accessing your messages.
Note: The following methods are NOT recommended, as they may cause problems such as losing messages!
If you have a configuration utility installed on your computer, you can try going into it and accessing your texts. So as you know, the process for doing so will depend on your program. Most of these programs are for developers and may be complicated, so you will likely have to rely on the instructions from the software developer's website.
How to Find Text Messages Using iExplorer
iExplorer is also great if you want to view your text messages without relying on iTunes or iCloud. It supports all platforms, including Mac and Windows (32 or 64bit), and works with almost any phone or tablet. It even includes tools to back up your photos, videos, and contacts.
The best thing about iExplorer is that it's straightforward to use. You must download the software, connect your phone via a USB cable, and open iExplorer. Then click on "Messages," and you'll be able to view any messages from any contact on your phone one by one.
iExplorer also has some great features that help keep your data safe, including the ability to export messages and contacts and SMS recovery in case anything happens to them (even if there has been a factory reset). You can also access iCloud backups, import them into iExplorer for viewing or export them back into iCloud.
You can download iExplorer for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android.
LockMess is another excellent app for getting your text messages on your iPhone. It's similar to iExplorer in that it's easy to download and use, although it is more focused on security. This app will encrypt all of your texts and even make them uncrackable.
LockMess also boasts some neat features, such as importing and exporting your messages, viewing older versions of notes, locking any app installed on your phone, and even rendering devices useless if you want it to.
If you're an Android user or know someone who is, try out iSMS2droid. This app is similar because it allows you to view old text messages and export them if necessary. It also allows you to view calls, music, and videos in a separate tab. Another cool feature of iSMS2droid is that it will enable you to access your text messages remotely via a secure method.
iSMS2droid gives you total control over the process using an open-source web-based interface, so no logins and passwords are required. Anyone with the URL can access your messages without password protection. You can even manage lock/unlock privileges for all apps on the device and send screenshots if necessary. You can get iSMS2droid from Google Play.
If you don't want to download anything and wish to view your old text messages from your iPhone, you can always use Foxmail for your iPhone to access them. This is a great mail program that's built-in with iOS and is available right on your device! You can access your text messages via the POP or IMAP folders under the Mail section.
You can also send and receive emails from your old phone, a great feature many forget about until it's gone.
However, if you still need an iPhone, these options will only do good if they are available via jailbroken iPhones (without tapping into the SMS application). Once you jailbreak your iPhone, however, you can download any of these different applications and use them directly on your phone.
If you're bored of using iCloud or Find My iPhone and still want to find out what happened to all those old text messages, let iRecover help you. This Android application will allow you to view your texts from any phone. There are a few different ways that iRecover can be used: You can log in with a Gmail account or access the app via SMS if the phone number has been added under Sender ID.
The best thing about this app is that it works with almost any Android device, including the Samsung Galaxy, HTC One, and Google Nexus. You can download iRecover from Google Play here.
This software is excellent if you have wholly deleted your text messages, as it will allow you to view them even if they're gone (providing they haven't been overwritten yet).
Data recovery may not be possible if your messages have been overwritten or deleted more than once.
If you want to get rid of your old text messages, it's much safer to use an iTunes backup or iCloud backup rather than simply deleting them. If you have an iCloud backup, then all of your texts must be stored on Apple's servers, and if they are deleted by accident, you can always access them via Find My iPhone. On the other hand, if they have been accidentally deleted repeatedly, they will not be accessible via any service.
If you are trying to find some way to access lost text messages, there are a few things that could have happened: Someone might have changed the phone number linked with your iCloud/iTunes account, and you need to know what it is now.
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