If you accidentally deleted a voicemail, there are a few methods to try and retrieve it. You can undelete it in the Voicemail section of the Phone app, restore a previous backup where the voicemail was still there, or reach out to your cell service provider.
Whether they have sentimental value or are necessary to remember crucial information, voicemails can be very important. Unfortunately, it’s quite easy to accidentally delete them or have a software bug/system failure that causes them to be deleted.
Thankfully, all hope is not immediately lost. There are a few things you can try in order to retrieve deleted voicemails on your iPhone, and this guide is going to take a closer look at a few of them.
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Key Takeaways
- One of the best and easiest ways to retrieve deleted voicemails on your iPhone is to undelete them from the Voicemail section of your phone app.
- You can also attempt to restore a backup to save the voicemails. However, you should do this as quickly as possible, as once your backup has been overwritten, you may not be able to restore your deleted voicemails any longer.
- Keep in mind that voicemails are provided as a service by your cell provider, not the device itself or Apple. Because of this, you may be able to reach out to your cell provider and see if they can restore the voicemails.
Method 1: Retrieve Recently-Deleted Voicemails with the Phone App
The first method to retrieve deleted voicemails is to click on your Phone app, and then click on Voicemail at the bottom right-side of the screen. Near the bottom of the Voicemail page, you will see Deleted Messages, if there are any that you can recover.
Go through and tap the voicemail you want to bring back and tap the undelete button (or the red trash icon with a line through it, depending on your device. This should bring it back and it should be back on your visual voicemail screen with the rest of your messages.
Check out this video for more:
Also, it is important to remember that voicemail is a service that is offered by your cell provider, not Apple. Not every provider will offer the availability to view your voicemails, and you may only be able to call the voicemail and interact with your messages in audio form.
If this is the case for you, this method may not work as you may not be able to follow the steps and navigate to the right folder.
Method 2: Restore from a Backup
Another option is to restore these voicemails from a backup. If you are able to restore to a previous backup before the voicemail was accidentally deleted, you may be able to save it. To restore a backup, the first step is to actually have a backup.
If you don’t have a backup, you will not be able to use this step to bring back your voicemails. However, it is worth creating a backup anyways as you never know when you may need one in the future.
To create a backup using iCloud, go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud > iCloud Backup. You need to turn on iCloud Backup, and then your device will automatically back up daily. You can also manually back up by pressing Back Up Now.
You can also connect your phone to a Mac or PC, though doing it on the device is generally quicker and easier. When it eventually comes time to restore your backup, you need to go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone, and click Erase All Content and Settings.
After entering your passcode, the phone will be wiped. From there, simply turn it on, and start the setup process. During the process, once you reach the Apps & Data screen, tap Restore from iCloud Backup.
After you sign in with your Apple ID, choose the correct backup to restore from. It may take a while depending on the size of the backup, as well as the quality of your internet. Then, simply finish the rest of the setup and your device will be restored.
Here is a quick video from Apple itself outlining the entire process:
While doing this could bring back your voicemail, keep in mind that you will lose new things you have added to your device since the backup, so be careful as the existing data on your phone will be replaced with whatever was on the backup.
Also, if your backup has been overwritten since the voicemail was deleted, you may not be able to retrieve it. As a result, this option is best used when you can 100% confirm that the important voicemail was still there when the backup was created.
Method 3: Reach out to Your Cell Service Provider/Carrier
Last but not least, you can also consider contacting your cell phone service provider in order to restore voicemails. It is your carrier that manages and stores your voicemails, and many will keep them on their servers for a little while after they are deleted from your device.
While there are no guarantees that they will be able to help you, it’s certainly worth a try. You also have the best chance of the carrier being able to help you if you reach out as soon as possible after deleting the voicemail.
Final Thoughts
Accidentally deleting voicemails can be a frustrating experience, especially if they were incredibly sentimental or important in another way. I hope this guide has been able to help you learn a few ways to bring them back to your iPhone.
Is there anything else you feel I should have mentioned in this guide but didn’t? If so, let me know in the comment below.