1. Decipher Tools
  2. Recover Deleted Text Messages

DECIPHER TEXTMESSAGE

Recover Lost/Deleted iPhone Text Messages.
Save, View, and Print iPhone Text Messages.
iOS 26.6.1 and iOS 27 beta Compatible.
Latest update: August 30, 2026 (Release notes)

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When you erase a text message on an iPhone, it is simply marked as "deleted", to be overwritten with new messages later. Decipher TextMessage finds those deleted messages and shows them to you in a simple, searchable interface.

To recover deleted iPhone text messages:

  1. Download Decipher TextMessage.
  2. Run Decipher TextMessage and click the "Recover" button in the upper left corner of the window.
  3. Search and sort through your recovered messages.
View Our Complete Deleted Message Recovery Guide

Decipher TextMessage Features:

  • Recovers SMS, MMS, and iMessage text messages.
  • Compatible with backups from iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
  • Uses iOS backups, for your privacy and the best recovery experience.
    (We may find the message in a backup from before it was deleted too!)
  • Aggressive recovery mode shows you more erased data.
  • Deleted text message data is searchable and sortable.
  • Works with encrypted backups (with the backup password.)
  • We offer a 30-day moneyback guarantee, in the event that your messages are not recoverable.
  • No jailbreaking required! (And also works for jailbroken iPhones.)
  • Each purchase comes with two unique device activations. When you activate a device you can save all the text messages forever for that specific iPhone or iPad.
  • Software is good for installation on an unlimited amount of computers.
  • There are no recurring monthly fees or subscriptions.
  • All updates to the software are included free with your license.

Click here to see the Decipher TextMessage FAQ page.

Click here to see the latest Decipher TextMessage release notes.

Click on a screenshot below to enlarge it:

System Requirements

Mac Version

  • macOS 10.12 through macOS Golden Gate 27 Beta
    (Golden Gate Beta, Tahoe, Sequoia, Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, and Sierra)
  • iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch running iOS 27 beta, iOS 26, iOS 18, iOS 17, iOS 16, iOS 15, iOS 14, iOS 13, iOS 12, iOS 11, iOS 10, iOS 9, iOS 8, iOS 7, iOS 6, iOS 5, or iOS 4

Windows Version

  • Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, or Windows 7
  • iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch running iOS 27 beta, iOS 26, iOS 18, iOS 17, iOS 16, iOS 15, iOS 14, iOS 13, iOS 12, iOS 11, iOS 10, iOS 9, iOS 8, iOS 7, iOS 6, iOS 5, or iOS 4

Decipher TextMessage is Mac and Windows software to recover deleted text messages in the Messages app, including iMessages, group chats, and MMS messages. Decipher TextMessage works with backups from iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches.

All of your text message data remains private, since all of the deleted text message recovery work is performed locally on your computer.

We love building on Decipher TextMessage and helping our customers get the data they need. If you have any questions or problems with Decipher TextMessage please feel free to contact us. Before contacting us via the support email, we ask that you read our FAQ since many helpful answers are available there.



Decipher TextMessage Reviews

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Average rating: 4.96/5.0 from 246 ratings and 382 reviews.

initials for Michael G

Michael G

September 2, 2026 4:01 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I had been comparing several products to back-up texts, but what drove me to Decipher TextMessage was the pricing structure.
But after installing and running the first backup, I ran into some issues and contacted support. They (Kelly!) were great - walked me through several scenarios until we got everything working right.
The user interface itself a a little clunky, but once you back-up a couple of times, it seems intuitive enough. The various settings give you many options, so I don't know why people are paying monthly subscription fees for alternative products that do the same thing. Overall, I'm very pleased with Decipher TextMessage, and Kelly in Customer Support was awesome!! Needless to say, I recommend this app.

initials for David Lindsay

David Lindsay

September 2, 2026 12:21 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

What a discovery this app is! I needed to print out and archive some text messages for legal purposes, from a group text in the Messages app on my iPhone 17 Pro. Merely trying to print out screen shots does not display the contact, the date, or the time for each message, which the Decipher TextMessage app excels at. I was concerned that since I was using a Late-2016 MacBook Pro, running macOS Monterey 12.7.6 (an old OS), and my iPhone 17 Pro is running the latest iOS 26.6.7, there might be an issue with backing up the iPhone to the Mac, in order to use the Decipher TextMessages app... But Decipher Tools Tech Support assured me that I could do the backup directly into the Decipher TextMessages app (instead of to the Mac Finder), and I would also be able to back up text messages only, instead of everything on the iPhone. It worked like a charm! After everything was loaded into the app, I was able to save text messages as .pdf documents, give them names, and save them in a folder. And each message has the name, date, and time, which are required when using texts for legal purposes. Great app, great value, and great (very prompt) customer service. Highly recommended!

initials for Traci

Traci

August 26, 2026 6:11 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Wish I had known about this product 500 screen shots ago.

initials for Damion

Damion

August 22, 2026 6:11 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Easy to use

initials for Daisy Diaz

Daisy Diaz

August 14, 2026 1:17 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This is the BEST software ever!! I wish my attorney had told me about this months ago. I found evidence for court in there that I never would have found manually. Also useful to save real estate communications. It loads so fast, it's easy to use, and downloads and saves SOOOOO fast. Thank you! Worth the money!

initials for Wayne B.

Wayne B.

August 11, 2026 3:28 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I had a iphone se 2 gen that was wiped clean. There was a backup in itunes which I tried to install but said it was corrupted. I bought this software and it worked. I was so relieved no data was lost. Thanks Decipher Tools!!!!!

initials for Alyssa

Alyssa

August 3, 2026 1:45 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This has been the best customer service I have received in a while! I emailed and the issue was fixed so quickly! 10/10 recommend if you are looking for a software to help pull your text messages for court purposes.

initials for Ginger Geise

Ginger Geise

July 29, 2026 7:11 AM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I was able to figure this app out and I am not very tech savvy! I received an after hours response to my question that help me solve the problem I was having with downloads and I was able to get my needed text message to make my deadline.

initials for Tahnee

Tahnee

July 21, 2026 4:49 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Fantastic product and outstanding support via email. Highly recommend!

initials for Anonymous

Anonymous

July 20, 2026 12:39 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Used for Court Ready document / exhibit preparation. Produces a very easy, comprehensive log. That log can then also be ocularly recognized making the tool extremely powerful. I then used the log to search for any word and got the exact times, dates, etc. of the use of that word in the context of the conversation. Great product.

initials for iphone 15pro max

iphone 15pro max

July 10, 2026 7:50 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

GOD BLESS YOU!

initials for Neil

Neil

June 16, 2026 2:05 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Initially it would repeatedly crash. I contacted Kelly. Kelly provided fast support by sending me a special link which fixed the issue first time. Now product works impressively well. I was able to put a 13 year text trail containing hundreds of messages into one PDF within a matter of moments. Sooo good. It's worth the purchase price on the first job. Thanks so much Kelly.

initials for Paul L

Paul L

June 11, 2026 1:52 AM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I was impressed with Decipher TextMessage. Finally something worked as it was promoted! I will keep all your products in mind for sure!

initials for Kate Hansen

Kate Hansen

June 1, 2026 10:47 AM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Would highly recommend this company to anyone. App is easy to use (and I'm a senior) Customer support is very responsive and I can't say enough good things about them! Very refreshing dealing with a US based company to streamline an already tricky process.

initials for Vic

Vic

May 26, 2026 12:32 AM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Prompt and efficient customer service when I got stuck! I was struggling to get the timestamps right when creating my backup from a different time zone. I needed the exported data for court so I had to get it right, and my deadline was fast approaching. I reached out for help and got a response right away and we were able to quickly rectify the situation. I am so grateful they respond so quickly and so knowledgably.

initials for Scott F.

Scott F.

May 25, 2026 9:10 AM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Wow, great customer service and great software! Thank you

initials for Terry S.

Terry S.

May 22, 2026 9:10 AM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I learned of the Decipher TextMessage Tool from my daughter which helped her save/protect some very important text messages. I was so very amazed on how simple the tool was to use and how efficient it worked that I began to use it on my own. Since then I continue to appreciate the tool's capabilities and learn of the enhancements and improvements that continue to be implemented! Whenever I have had a question regarding functionality of the tool or it's behavior, the support team has been so amazing in providing excellent support and information quickly! Everyone that I have interacted with over the years has been great! A quality product, outstanding support after the sale, and ongoing software enhancements makes this product stand out in the IT application space! Cannot recommend this product and its team enough! I look forward to seeing future enhancements!

initials for Daniel J

Daniel J

May 16, 2026 5:14 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

After some additional difficulty (strictly on my end) I emailed and got awesome product support (on a Saturday!) that got me where I needed to be for saving my iPhone text messages. I’ve been trying every product I could find for the past three weeks and finally found the one that works, Decipher TextMessage. Thank you decipher team, thank you Jay, very much appreciated.

initials for Uli H.

Uli H.

May 16, 2026 7:09 AM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Hard work pays off- hats off to You guys. Where Apple was lazy, countless Tiers failed and nothing worked, You went the extra mile. A phantastic tool which really works, don´t let internet trolls tall you something about virus, spoofs etc. This really works, and You need quite some time. What sealed the deal for me was the founder hopping on an Apple discussion, being really proud and human about her (must´ve been tough) accomplisment. This and some videos, which give you the human facto, while others hide behind their dark efforts. Kudos, thank You for making it work! Cheers from Munich

initials for A fantastic tool - did what nothing else could do!

A fantastic tool - did what nothing else could do!

May 2, 2026 9:58 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Sadly I lost my sister a year ago, and wanted to capture our messages over all the years. I could not find a tool to help me, so started the process manually using screen grabs. It just was not practical. I was a bit sceptical as to whether the tool would work, however it has put all of our chats over a decade in a PDF and it is fantastic. I did strike the dreaded 'encrypted messages' issue for the exchanges in the last year of my sister's life however managed after some effort to get that FB download to work as well, which Decipher was able to convert for me. The only thing I would suggest is that images be placed in monthly sub-folders as I have hundreds of images that I cannot place a time for. I know the extraction has the time/date stamp as the thumbnails in the PDF are positioned in the body of the chat. That aside, it is a fantastic tool and highly recommend it!

initials for Alyse

Alyse

May 1, 2026 7:52 PM
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I was feeling particularly grateful for DecipherText Message’s smooth user experience recently, and wrote the developers a little thank you note. Thought I’d relay it to folks who might be considering buying it. In summary, it’s a user-friendly tool, with great displays that explain what’s going on as files flash (and correctly also periodically pause) before your eyes.

My thank you note to the developers:

Hi,
Thank you for having such a user-friendly, reliable product!
Yesterday I migrated my DecipherText Message app over to yet another new PC, this time an LG Gram laptop from Costco, and it went so smoothly! What a difference a day and reliable products and customer service makes!
Your apps, know-how, and customer service are a breath of fresh air.
Continuing thanks.