How to Read Deleted Messages on WhatsApp | Full Guide (2025)

It’s 2025 and the times have gone when you’d be pulling your hair out on sending a wrong text to someone on WhatsApp – now you can just delete it!

This feature is immensely useful, especially when WhatsApp has also become a medium for corporate conversations. However, it has also led to insecurities and uncertainties. Why did your child need to delete a message? Or why did your spouse delete one? But no worries when recovery of deleted WhatsApp chats is possible.

This article tells you how to see WhatsApp deleted messages and how you can ensure data backup in the future in case of mistakenly deleting messages.

Part 1. How to Read Deleted Messages on WhatsApp

Reading deleted messages on WhatsApp is no more a hassle when you can view these messages through various methods. Whether you’re wondering, “How do I read deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone?” or “How to retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages on Android?” we’ve got you covered.

Way 1. With a reliable parental control app-Msafely

The simplest way to see deleted messages on anyone’s WhatsApp is using a reliable parental control app like Msafely. Msafely allows you to keep a close eye on your child’s activity remotely anytime. So, when they delete any message sent to you or anyone else, you can find out what it is. Though children should have privacy, there’s no harm in monitoring their online activity considering potential online danger and molesters.

With Msafely, you can:

Track all WhatsApp chats including private and group messages.
View photos, videos, messages, docs shared via WhatsApp from the target phone.
Monitor WhatsApp calls, contact list, keystrokes, and locations .
Monitor all WhatsApp activity without jailbreaking the phone.
Read deleted messages and chat history of the target device.

WhatsApp chats monitoring feature demo of Msafely.

Other than WhatsApp, Msafely also monitors:

The best part is that using Msafely is quite simple. Follow these three steps to register and use Msafely:

Step 1. Register for a free Msafely account with your valid email ID.

Step 2. Select a suitable plan and connect the target phone to your Msafely account.

Step 3. Go to Msafely Control Panel and start monitoring your target phone remotely.

Requirements:

You need the target phone’s cloud credentials to connect the target phone to your account.

Limitations:

You need to purchase a subscription plan for the app.

🎯 Success rate: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Way 2. Through WhatsApp notification history

If you’re looking for a free method to view your child’s deleted messages, the WhatsApp notification history can help you see older messages. This feature in Android phones logs notifications before the WhatsApp messages are deleted, increasing your chances of recovering deleted messages.

Here’s how to read deleted messages on WhatsApp through notification history:

Step 1. Open Settings.

Step 2. Go to Notifications.

Step 3. Tap Advanced Settings.

Step 4. Tap Notification History and enable it.

Once the notification history is enabled, you’ll see a log of recent notifications, including WhatsApp messages, even if the other person has deleted the message.

Requirements:

You must have an Android device (Android 11 or onward).
Notification history must be turned on.

Limitations:

You can only see text messages, not media.
You can only see notification logs from the time the setting was enabled.

🎯 Success rate: ☆ ☆ ☆

Way 3. By restoring WhatsApp chats backup

What if you did not have Msafely or hadn’t turned on notification history? Does that mean you cannot view deleted WhatsApp messages? No really.

WhatsApp has a built-in backup setting that saves your messages along with media to your preferred cloud/ drive. It backs up the data automatically or when asked to, depending on the setting you choose. If you had backed up WhatsApp chats recently, there’s still hope to view deleted messages.

Follow these steps to check WhatsApp messages backup:

Step 1. Open the WhatsApp app on your phone.

Step 2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner.

Step 3. Select Chats and scroll down to find Chat Backup. Here you’ll see the date of the last backup.

If you have the backup until the date earlier than the message was deleted, restore backup to see the delete WhatsApp message.

Requirements:

You need physical access to the phone on which the message was received.

Limitations:

You can only recover the message if the latest backup was made before the message was deleted.
Restoring cloud backup will lose new WhatsApp data from the time it was backed up.

🎯 Success rate: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Way 4. By recovering WhatsApp messages from Cloud backup

If you backup all your mobile data to your Google drive or iCloud, you can find WhatsApp messages there as well. We’ve shared the most straightforward methods to recover WhatsApp messages from cloud backup for Android and iPhone.

#1. By Google Drive-for Android

Google Drive is a jar of blessings for Android users that helps you recover any lost data if it was backed up on the drive. Here’s how to read deleted WhatsApp messages on Android via Google Drive backup:

Step 1. Go to Google in phone Settings and select Manage Backup.

Step 2. Click on Backup Details and look for Google Account Data.

Step 3. Select Google Drive and turn on sync.

If you had already synced the data before the other person deleted the message, reinstalling WhatsApp after uninstalling will ask in case you want to ‘Restore’ backup. Once you restore data, you might be able to see the deleted messages. The best part is that Google also backs up data, so you can restore images, videos, or voice notes as well.

Requirements:

This method requires uninstalling WhatsApp.

Limitations:

You can restore the data if backed up before the message was deleted, not after it.

🎯 Success rate: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

#2. By iCloud backup-for iPhone

Like Android, you can also retrieve old WhatsApp messages on iPhone through iCloud backup. If you backup your WhatsApp data, you might be able to see messages, even after they have been deleted.

Step 1. Go to Settings on your phone.

Step 2. Click on your profile picture to open iCloud.

Step 3. Select WhatsApp from the list of apps. If you see WhatsApp on the list, it shows that the WhatsApp data is backed up.

Step 4. Now, uninstall WhatsApp from the iPhone and reinstall it again.

Step 5. Select Restore in the pop up that appears on the screen.

Step 6. This will restore the last data backup and you might find the deleted messages.

Requirements:

You need access to the Apple ID and phone number.
Data backup must be turned on already.

Limitations:

You may not be able to backup or restore data on an iPhone with insufficient storage.
You can restore the data if backed up before the message was deleted, not after it.

🎯 Success rate: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

#3. By iTunes-for iPhone

Other than iCloud, iOS users can also use iTunes to restore conversations and read deleted messages on WhatsApp. Follow these simple steps to restore WhatsApp messages via iTunes backup.

Step 1. Download and install iTunes on your computer.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes.

Step 3. Tap on your device on the screen.

Step 4. Select Summary.

Step 5. Click Restore Backup under Backups.

Step 6. Select WhatsApp and Restore to retrieve messages.

Once done, open WhatsApp on your phone to view backup messages.

Requirements:

You must have data backed up on your iPhone already.

Limitations:

You can restore the data if backed up before the message was deleted, not after it.

🎯 Success rate: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Part 2. What is the Best Way to Read Deleted Messages on WhatsApp

Factor	Msafely	Notification history	WhatsApp chat backup	iCloud/ Drive backup
Shows deleted message directly	Yes	Yes	Whole chat backup	Whole chat backup
Keeps recent chats	Yes	Yes	No	No
Real-time monitoring	Yes	No	No	No
Works discreetly	Yes	No	No	No
Access to target phone	Not required	Required	Required	Required
Privacy	☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆	☆ ☆ ☆	☆ ☆	☆ ☆

The comparison between the methods to read deleted messages on WhatsApp shows that using a parental control app like Msafely is the simplest and the most discreet way to see messages on another device. While you can restore data via iCloud or Google Drive, the recent chats may get overwritten and you will require access to the target phone to view the message. So, if you’re looking for an app to see deleted messages on your Child’s WhatsApp, Msafely can be the best choice. It not only monitors WhatsApp, but also tracks chats and deleted messages across various apps, including social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Viber, LINE and others.

Part 3. How to Backup WhatsApp Messages before Deleting

Now that you know how to view deleted WhatsApp messages on Android and iPhone, you must have realized how important it is to back up your WhatsApp messages. Here’s how you can backup WhatsApp messages on both devices to restore them if needed.

How to backup WhatsApp messages on Android phones (Google Drive)

To backup WhatsApp data on your Android device:

Open WhatsApp on your phone.
Click the three dots in the top right corner.
Select Settings from the options.
Go to Chats and click on Chat Backup.

Once you click on Chat Backup:

See if you want to change the Google account for backup.
Select automatic backup frequency
Decide if you want to include videos

Your WhatsApp data will back up regularly according to your preferred frequency when you have an internet connection.

How to backup WhatsApp messages on iPhones (iCloud Backup)

Follow these steps to backup WhatsApp messages on your iPhone:

Open WhatsApp.
Select Settings and go to Chats.
Click Chat Backup and tap on Back Up Now to start manual backup on the cloud.
You can also enable Auto Backup and choose your backup frequency.

Check the Apple ID to ensure you’re backing up the data to the right account. Make sure you have enough space on your iCloud account for backup.

Part 4. Summary

Viewing deleted WhatsApp messages can be inevitable in some situations, making you scratch your head wondering, “How to see WhatsApp deleted messages on my phone?” You can easily see deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone through iCloud backup and on Andriod devices via Google Drive backup. However, if you had not backup up data, or the latest data was backed up after the message was deleted, you may not be able to see it. In case, the message you want to see was sent by your kids or spouse, you can use a trusted parental control app like Msafely to view the message from their phone or yours. Simply install the app, connect the target phone’s account, and monitor the activity on the target device.

Part 5. FAQs

Q1. How to read someone's deleted message on WhatsApp?

If you want to read a deleted message on someone else’s phone, you need to restore their WhatsApp backup. However, the data must be backed up before the message is deleted to see it. Also, restoring older backups will delete the latest WhatsApp messages, making it evident that you read their messages or backed up old ones.

Q2. How to delete a read message on WhatsApp?

If you have sent a message to someone that you want to delete, here’s a simple method:

Open the chat.

Press and hold the message you want to delete.

Click on the trash icon on the top of the page.

You’ll see a popup with ‘delete for everyone/ delete for me/ cancel.’

Select ‘delete for everyone’ to delete the message for everyone in the chat.

Q3. How to read deleted WhatsApp messages on laptop?

You cannot directly read deleted WhatsApp messages on your laptop because the data is backed up on your Google Drive or iCloud account. You can restore backup on your phone to see the deleted messages on the laptop. If you’re tech savvy, try installing an Android emulator on your laptop and restore a local backup. You might see the deleted messages, but it violates WhatsApp’s terms of service.

Q4. How to read deleted WhatsApp messages on Samsung?

Samsung mobiles have an Android operating system, and you can recover WhatsApp messages on Samsung the same way as other Android devices. Use Google Drive backup, WhatsApp backup, and WhatsApp notification history to view deleted WhatsApp messages. Using a credible third-party app like Msafely can also help you retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages on Samsung.

Q5. How to read old deleted messages on WhatsApp?

It is difficult to read old deleted messages on WhatsApp if the messages were too old or if the backup was done after the messages were deleted. In case the latest WhatsApp data was backed up before the messages were deleted, you can restore deleted messages from backup. WhatsApp notification history can also help you restore deleted WhatsApp messages.

Q6. Does deleting a chat on WhatsApp delete it permanently?

When you delete chat on WhatsApp, it gets deleted from your phone permanently, until backup is turned on. However, the chat is not deleted from the other person’s phone.