How to Recover Deleted Messages on Snapchat – Android and iPhone 2024

Do you know how Snapchat messages disappear after they have been read? This can sometimes cause problems. But did you know that it is possible to retrieve old deleted messages on Snapchat? I’ll explain.

I’m going to show you how to recover deleted messages on Snapchat using methods that work today. You’ll be able to see any deleted Snapchat message you sent or received – like a pro!

I’ll also explain the best methods for Android and iPhone users plus a few useful tips and tricks to help. Best of all, it’s easy and you don’t need to be a tech expert. Did you know you can use similar methods to recover deleted messages on Instagram – see my guide on that here.

So let’s get to it.

Why Snapchat Messages Disappear

Snapchat is well known for the feature that lets users send photos and videos to other users which self-destruct after they have been viewed or opened. This means that once the message has been read, it disappears and can’t be viewed again.

But why do Snaps self-destruct? I’ll cover a couple of reasons that explain this but I suspect the main one was to be a point of difference to all the other messaging apps around when Snapchat started out. Now of course others have copied this feature.

Did you know that there is a way to send a picture as a Snap on Snapchat – I explain all in that article – have a read.

Snapchat messages are designed to be secure and to make it impossible for someone who has received the image or video to save it to their own account or spread it on social media (although there are workarounds).

This provides an extra layer of security and privacy. Maybe you send images or thoughts you just don’t want to circulate online.

Another advantage of self-destructing images and messages is that you can save storage space on your device. You won’t have to manually delete any files every few days to save space and keep your phone working smoothly.

On the other hand, Snapchat’s messaging system means you can lose some items you might want to keep. You may not want to save every message. But there could be things you’d want to hang on to such as photographs or personal messages.

There is a way to save Snapchat messages immediately and I’ll cover that later on. But now I’ll look at different ways you can get back any message that has already been deleted on Snapchat.

Check out another guide on recovering deleted Snapchat memories – some more good tips there!

How to Recover Deleted Messages Using Snapchat My Data

Snapchat has a way to retrieve your old messages, photos, videos, and more but you have to request this information. Here is how to request your data:

1. Go to the Snapchat My Data page at this link.
2. You will need to login to your account and you’ll be redirected to the data page.
3. Here you can select everything you want included in your download.
4. Hit the “Submit Request” button.

Snapchat will begin to retrieve your messages and will notify you by email when it is ready for download. This can take up to 24 hours but is usually much quicker.

• In the email, you will see a link for the download. It will be in a .zip file format.
• Simply tap the mydata.zip file and select “extract” the file contents.
• In the contents look for the mydata folder and inside it, you will see a file named index.html. Click on that and it will open in your browser and here you can see all your old deleted messages.

Don’t worry too much about the file names – it all sounds more complicated than it really is. The only downside is that you will have to wait a while to get your data. Once you have it you can save it to your device or do what you like!

This method works for recovering deleted Snapchat messages on iPhone and Android devices. Now for another way that works.

Recover Deleted Snapchat Messages from Cache

This is only for Android users. With the Android operating system, your device uses a temporary “cache” to store images, messages, chats, and videos. By accessing the device cache you can see deleted Snapchat content from your recent history – allowing Snapchat message recovery. You will need to use a PC or laptop with this technique.

Here’s what to do:

• Connect your Android phone to your PC or laptop using a USB cable.
• Open the settings folder for your device and look for “Android.”
• Select “Data” and then the file called “com.Snapchat.android”
• Open the cache folder and pick the messages you want to get back.
• Select “Recover.”

That’s it you will now be able to view the recently deleted messages, photos, and videos from Snapchat.

The downside to this way is that it only works on Android devices and you can only get back recently viewed messages. The cache files are deleted as new ones are added depending on the storage capacity of your phone.

How to View Deleted Snapchat Messages Using File Manager – No PC Required

Again this method is for Android users but this time you don’t need to connect to a PC or laptop. It works by accessing the internal storage files on your device.

Similar to the cache method, messages, images, and video are stored in your Android file system. This is the same for when you open a WhatsApp message for instance. The trick for Snapchat is that the file names need to be changed to be able to see or restore them. I’ll explain:

1. Go to “settings” and select the “my files” folder. If you don’t see this you might need to install the File Manager app. You can find this in the Play Store.
2. In “My Files” find the “Android” folder and then the “Data” folder.
3. Open the file called “com.snapchat.android”.
4. In this folder, you need to change the filenames ending with “.nomedia”. Just delete that extension from the file names.

Once you have renamed the files you can open any of them and you’ll be able to view them. Give it a go – it works. This is just a quick way to get around Snapchat’s privacy controls that block the images from easy viewing.

Recover Deleted Snapchat Photos and Messages on iPhone and Android

As I’ve mentioned, the last couple of methods will only work for Android users. As always, thanks to Apple’s restrictive practices, iOS users need to be a little more creative.

Requesting your data still works for retrieving deleted Snapchat messages on an iPhone but you can’t access your cache or phone files so easily. One way around this is to Jailbreak your Phone but this is not an option for the latest iOS versions. And most people don’t want the hassle of Jailbreaking.

The next two methods will work for iPhone users but they are not free – although you can find some free trial accounts.

Using Android and iPhone Data Recovery Tools

You can use a third-party data recovery tool to recover deleted Snaps on iPhone and Android. These require you to install a software program on your Mac or Windows PC.

These programs were designed to recover deleted data or lost data from phones, hard drives, USB sticks, and memory cards. However, you can also use them to retrieve deleted Snapchat messages.

One of the best phone data recovery tools is Fonelab. It’s fast, safe to use, and does the job of recovering your Snapchat images, videos, and messages. The best bit is that it works for both iPhone and Android devices. I have used their Android data recovery option and it is very easy to recover deleted Snapchat messages.

Another good option is Dr.Fone which also works for both iPhone and Android.

Both of these programs have various features including backup and repair functions but they are perfect for data recovery and in this case to recover deleted messages as a Snapchat recovery app.

They will each have specific instructions but the basic process is the same. You connect your phone to your PC or Mac and run a file scan. The software will then list all recoverable files found on your device. Also great if you accidentally delete data from your phone or device.

These are displayed on the screen and you can select the messages you want. You hit recover and choose a destination folder to restore deleted messages to. That’s basically it!

The big advantage of these phone data recovery programs is the ease of use and the fact that they work for Android and iPhone users. But as I mentioned they will cost you some money unless you can find a free trial. iBeesoft iPhone data recovery is another option for iOS users. A quick Google search will list many more of these programs.

Snapchat Monitoring Apps to Recover Snapchat Messages

This is an alternative method that works on Android and iPhone (iOS). On this website, I write quite a bit about phone monitoring apps designed for worried parents who want to keep an eye on their kids online activities.

Snapchat is one of the social media apps that parents want to monitor and using a spy app can be a very effective way to do this. Apps such as mSpy can be secretly installed on their device in a few minutes.

Once installed mSpy allows the parent to log on to an online dashboard and view all phone activity. For Snapchat this allows them to see everything they do – every message, photo, video sent and received. In this way it allows you to see deleted Snapchat messages. It can easily recover deleted Snapchat data and recover Snapchat photos.

I have an extensive guide covering Snapchat hacking worth a look – it covers how to use a monitoring app for Snapchat and more. The upside of using a spy app is that it will be hidden from the user so they will not know you have accessed their deleted data.

If you think you might be targeted by an app like mSpy you should see my article covering can Snapchat be hacked and how to find out for sure. Lots of detailed information in that guide.

An app like mSpy will do so much more than simply recover messages from Snapchat. It will report almost every activity made on the phone. From call logs, contact lists, and emails to text messages, social media, and GPRS tracking. It is incredibly powerful software – often used as a Snapchat tracker app. Take a look at my review below to find out all you need to know.

How to Save Snapchat Messages

Did you know that you can easily save any message on Snapchat … before it is deleted? You can use this to save any important messages you send or receive. Here’s what to do:

• Log into your Snapchat account.
• Swipe right to access the chat area.
• Select the chat you want to save.
• Long press on the message, and select Save in Chat from the drop-down menu.
• The message is shown in gray and bold once it has been saved.

This is quick and easy yet so many people aren’t aware of this way to save your important Snaps from the outset. Just remember – when you save a message like this the other person in the conversation will know it has been saved.

This is similar to how Snapchat will mark any message that has had a screenshot taken, letting the other person know. Of course, there are ways around this too – check out my guide on how to take a screenshot on Snapchat without them knowing.

Lost Snapchat Messages? – Recovery Sorted!

There you have it. I have covered how to recover deleted Snapchat messages – the best ways that actually work! Some are easier than others but none are exactly challenging.

Don’t let the file names confuse you, I know some people switch off when they see that stuff. Just have a go and follow the step-by-step instructions and things will be clear enough. Thanks for reading and good luck in your data recovery!