You deleted an Instagram message only to realize later that you shouldn’t have done it. If that’s ever happened with you, you’re not alone. We all delete messages in either anger or by mistake. Regardless of why you deleted the messages, the question is that is Instagram message recovery possible? Can you recall messages after deleting them?
If you are looking for ways to recover your Instagram messages, stay tuned. Here are some effective techniques you can use to get your messages back.
Is Instagram Message Recovery Officially Allowed?
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Instagram doesn’t officially allow users to revive their deleted messages. If you delete your messages either intentionally or by mistake, they’re gone. Instagram doesn’t mention any way to recover those messages.
However, there is a loophole. Unlike images and videos on Instagram that stay on Instagram’s servers, the messages and comments remain on the phone. They’re stored as Instagram data in your phone and nowhere else.
Hence, even after you delete messages, they stay on your phone. Though recovering them will take some work, it’s possible.
Steps and Techniques for Instagram Message Recovery
Now, let’s delve into all the ways of recovering Instagram messages. There are a few ways to get back your messages, and they all work independently. So, try all these methods one by one until your messages come back.
Download Instagram Data
As discussed, your Instagram data stays on your device even after you delete it. Hence, getting it back is easy. Here are the steps you need to follow to retrieve your deleted messages.
Open Instagram and log into your account. Go to your profile, and click on Edit Profile. Go to the Privacy and Security section and find the option for Data Download. Click on Request Download below it. You’ll need to verify your identity by entering your login details. Enter all the details and click on Next and then Request Download.
Instagram will send you all the data on your email as a ZIP file. Download the file and extract it. Now, look for the following file:
messages.json
Right-click on the file and open it with a text editor, like Notepad or Wordpad. You’ll now be able to see all the messages.
Use Facebook for Instagram Message Recovery
Just in case you’re not aware, Facebook (now Meta) owns Instagram. The acquisition happened in 2012, and since then, the two platforms have been linked together. You may have noticed that Instagram allows you to log into your account using your Facebook account. What you may not know is that Facebook also allows you to recover deleted messages using Facebook.
However, please note that this method will work only if you have linked your Facebook account with Instagram. That said, follow these steps to recover your messages.
Log into your Facebook account that’s connected with your Instagram account. Go to the inbox, and click on the icon for Instagram Direct from the left panel. A list of all your DMs on Instagram, including those you have deleted, will appear here.
You don’t need to download any file or wait for Instagram to send you an email. This method gives you instant access to your messages. However, it will work only if you have your Facebook account linked to your Instagram account. If not, we’ll recommend doing it right away.
Recover Messages Using Third-Party Applications
If you don’t want to spend time performing a series of steps to recover your lost messages, you can try some Instagram message recovery applications. You will find these apps on PlayStore and App Store. We recommend installing these apps from trusted sources only.
Some popular message recovery apps you should try are:
- UnSend Evil by Faizan Ansari
- WAMR by Drilens
- Recover Deleted Messages by Shahid Hussain
- Chat Bin by Xharma
- Restory by ReApps
- SMS Backup and Restore by SyncTech Pty. Ltd.
Using these apps have their pros and cons. Let’s discuss them, in brief, to help you make the right decision.
The pros of using third-party Instagram message recovery apps are:
- These apps enable one-click message recovery. They allow you to recover messages instantly without performing various manual steps.
- These apps have a high success rate, as indicated by their user reviews.
- Most of these apps are free, so you don’t have to pay anything.
However, such apps have some drawbacks as well. Here’s why you should avoid using third-party apps for recovering messages.
- The security risk is high, as you have to share your login credentials with the app. If the app turns out to be a scam, your Instagram account will be at the risk of getting hacked.
- These apps have a lot of ads and pop-ups, which could be annoying. Many apps would even charge a subscription fee to revive your messages.
It’s important to find the right app if you want to use third-party apps to recover your messages. Use an app you trust and has good user reviews so you don’t jeopardize your Instagram account.
Will All My Messages Come Back?
It’s highly unlikely for all your Instagram messages to come back unless you’ve been using the same phone from the beginning and have not uninstalled Instagram. As discussed, Instagram stores data in your system. Once you uninstall Instagram, the data goes with it.
The Facebook message recovery method and third-party apps may enable you to recover more messages than the standard data download, but they too have limitations. So, you shouldn’t expect all your messages to return. That said, you will get a fair share of your deleted messages back, especially if you deleted them recently.
Wrap Up
Accidentally deleting an Instagram message or chat may seem like the end of the road. But it’s not. You can get them back, and it’s easier than you think. There are three ways to recover Instagram messages: by downloading Instagram Data, retrieving messages through Facebook, and using third-party message recovery tools.
You can try all these methods and stick to the one that works for you.
