How to Find Hidden Text Messages on an iPhone

PDF download Download Article
Reveal hidden conversations from unknown contacts
PDF download Download Article

This wikiHow teaches you how to find text messages you've hidden on your iPhone. If you've set up your iPhone to filter messages from people who aren't in your contacts list, you can find the hidden messages in a special folder called Unknown Senders. If you're looking for text messages you've deleted, you may be able to recover them by restoring from an iCloud backup you made before deleting them. And if you saw a notification that said you have a new message but can no longer find that notification, you'll find the message in your inbox.

How do I find hidden text messages on my iPhone?

Go to the Messages app on your iPhone and select the Filters option in the top-left corner. Select the Unknown Senders button from the menu to see all text messages from numbers that aren't logged in your contact list. To switch off unknown sender filtering, go to the Messages section of your Settings app.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Viewing Hidden Messages from Unknown Senders

PDF download Download Article
  1. It's the green icon with a white chat bubble inside. [1]
    • If you've turned on the iPhone feature that automatically filters messages from people who aren't in your contacts, you can find those hidden messages using this method.
  2. This is at the top-left corner of the Messages inbox.
    • This option is only visible if you've filtered messages from senders who aren't in your contacts.
    • If you're on a screen that says "Messages" in large letters and displays a list of three folders, just skip to the next step.
    Advertisement
  3. This displays all text messages coming from phone numbers that aren't in your contacts. [2]
  4. If you don’t want to keep these messages hidden, you can turn off unknown sender filtering: [3]
    • Open your iPhone's Settings (that gray gear icon on your home screen or in your App Library).
    • Scroll down and tap Messages .
    • Scroll down to "Message Filtering."
    • Tap the "Filter Unknown Senders" switch to turn it off.
    5. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Recovering Deleted Messages

PDF download Download Article
  1. If you deleted a text and want to get it back, you may be able to do so by restoring from an iCloud backup. First, check to make sure your messages are actually being backed up to iCloud: [4]
    • Open your iPhone's Settings (the gray gear icon on your home screen or in your App Library).
    • Tap your name at the top to open your Apple ID details.
    • Tap iCloud .
    • Look for "Messages" in the list of backed-up items. If its corresponding switch is on (green), your messages are backed up to iCloud and you can use this method to restore deleted texts.
    • If the switch is off (gray or white), you won't be able to restore deleted texts with this method.
  2. If you just checked to see if you're backing up messages, just tap the back button until you've returned to the Settings menu. Otherwise, tap the gray gear icon on your home screen or in your App Library now.
    • This method will erase and restore your iPhone. This sounds extreme, but as long as you back your data to iCloud, all of your data (including the text messages you had in your inbox at the time of the backup) will be placed back onto your iPhone automatically.
    • Apps that claim to restore deleted texts can only pull them from backups. If you would rather not restore your entire iPhone to recover your texts, you can pay for an app like Phone Rescue ($49.99) or Enigma Recovery ($59.99) that allows you to restore messages only.
  3. This is the option with a gray-and-white gear icon in the third group of settings.
  4. It's near the bottom of the page. [5]
  5. This option is toward the top. [6]
    • Most of your settings will be restored from your backup, although you'll need to log back in to many apps and services.
  6. Do not choose the option to back it up first—this will overwrite the existing backup, which would mean you'd permanently lose your deleted texts.
  7. Once your iPhone restarts, you'll set it up as though it's brand new.
  8. This option will appear after you've configured a few settings, such as signing in to iCloud and choosing a language. [7]
  9. You may have more than one backup available. If you do, select a backup that predates when you deleted your messages. Once selected, your iPhone will start restoring. [8]
    • If you restore from an old backup, it will undo any of the changes you've made to your iPhone after that date. This means you'll need to re-download apps you've downloaded after the backup was made.
  10. As long as the messages you deleted were still on your iPhone when the backup was made, you'll find them in the Messages app, merged in with your other messages.
    • If you were unable to restore your deleted messages this way, you may be able to contact your mobile carrier to request them.
    11. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Finding Messages from Notifications You Hid

PDF download Download Article
  1. It's the green icon with a white speech bubble inside. You'll find it at the bottom of your home screen. This opens your inbox. [9]
    • Use this method if you saw a notification that said you received a text message but can no longer find the notification.
  2. Any messages you haven't opened yet will have a blue dot to the left of the sender's name.
    • If you tapped the notification to read the message previously, you won't see a blue dot.
  3. The contents of the message will appear.
    4. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Hard Reset an iPhone
      Apple ID Sign Out Unavailable? Here's How to Fix It
      10 Simple Ways to Fix an iPhone or Android That Won’t Send Pictures
      How to
      Get Past the Activation Lock on an iPhone or iPad without the Seller
      6 Easy Steps to Reload Your Cash App Card at the Store
      How to
      Fix the “iPhone Unavailable” Message: Explanation and Fixes
      How to
      Turn On MMS Text Messages on an iPhone
      How to
      Use the iPhone Hidden Album to Hide Private Photos
      2 Ways to Get a Still Image from Video on iPhone or iPad
      How to
      Fix "Notifications Silenced" on iPhone Messages
      How to
      Downgrade and Restore Older Versions of iOS on iPhone
      How to
      Bypass Your Screen Time Passcode: Reset, Remove, or Hack Screen Time
      Turn Off Location Sharing on an iPhone Without Anyone Knowing
      Where to Find the Clipboard on an iPhone: 4 Simple Steps
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201229
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201229
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/block-filter-and-report-messages-iph203ab0be4/ios
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/set-up-messages-mm0de0d4528d/icloud
      5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201274
      6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201274
      7. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204184
      8. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204184
      9. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201287

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open the Messages app.
      2. Tap Filters .
      3. Tap Unknown Senders .

      Did this summary help you?
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 203,543 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement