Though not a common issue for iPhone users, it can be very frustrating to find iPhone deleting messages from the inbox by itself. At times, iPhone text messages disappear from inbox after iOS software updates or after a restart, but there are also situations where iPhone text messages just disappear from iPhone suddenly. More specifically, here are some issues that users are having:
- The Messages app is only showing a blank, white screen, meaning all messages (text – SMS- and iMessages) seem to have disappeared and gone; however still red number badge indicates that there are some new messages.
- Unable to send and receive new messages.
- The send (green or blue) arrow button is not working.
- Text message notifications and previews on the lock screen seem to be working.
The good news is that, if you have
made a backup for your iPhone
before, you can easily recover disappeared iPhone messages by
restoring your iPhone from iTunes backup
or from iCloud backup.
See also:
Cannot Send or Receive Messages on Your Mac? Fix
In this article, we’ll explain exactly what to do if you find iPhone deleting messages by itself. We will also explain why iPhone text messages disappear from inbox which will help to stop it from happening in the future.
How to fix when text messages disappeared from iPhone or iPad
Try these fixes if the Messages app stops responding, or you encounter a problem while trying to access your messages. After each step, please check to see if your problem is fixed.
- Restart your iPhone. To do this, head over to Settings > General > Shut Down (iOS 11 or higher)
- Force restart your device. Here is how to hard reset your iPhone:
- If you own iPhone 8, iPhone X/ XR/XS(Max), or iPhone 11/11 Pro(Max), quickly press and release the Volume Up button, quickly press and release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
- If you own iPhone 7, iPhone 6 or earlier, hold down the Side button and Home button together, then release when the Apple logo appears.
- Turn on Airplane mode and wait about 20 seconds and turn it back off.
- Head over to Settings > Messages > Keep Messages and select 30 days. Please note, this option will delete your old messages. Consider skipping this if you do not want that and tap Delete.
- Head over to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage and then MMS Messaging and wait for about 20 seconds and turn them back on.
- Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS. To do this, head over to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Factory Reset your iPhone and restore from a recent backup file to fix your issue. Before you jump into it, ensure that you have a backup file. To check this, head over to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage > Back ups, to view all of your backups.
- If you do not have any back up, you may want to back up your iPhone. To do this, head over to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and then tap Back Up Now. Please note, you can turn on iCloud Backup to automatically back up your device.
- Now you have a backup file, the next step is to head over to Settings > General > Reset, then tap “Erase all content and settings.” Just follow the onscreen prompts. Be sure to choose Restore from iCloud Backup.
There you have it! If your iPhone text disappears, the above troubleshooting tips should resolve your issue. Next time you see Messages disappearing on iPhone you’ll know what to do. Thanks for reading and feel free to ask any other questions you may have in the comments section.