Accidentally deleting an Instagram message can be quite a hassle. Whether it’s a conversation with an important contact or a treasured memory, many users fret over losing them. The good news is that Instagram message recovery is possible; however, it is important to take the right steps to ensure personal safety.
That’s why this article outlines six methods to retrieve deleted messages on Instagram while keeping information secure. However, finding the optimal solution takes personal preference, so let’s recover your messages!
Can deleted Instagram messages still be seen?
You might think that deleting or erasing a message on Instagram means that it is gone for everyone. This is wrong. Deleting a chat simply removes it from your inbox. The other participant in the conversation still has full access to everything unless they, too, delete it from their end.
Here’s an even more important fact. A person who takes a screenshot before you decide to delete a message can keep it forever. This is exactly why a careful approach should be taken about messages. So, in case you choose to send a message to a particular contact, consider whether, with the information contained, you would be okay with someone keeping it permanently for reference.
Can you recover deleted messages on Instagram?
The truth is, there isn’t a “trash” or “undo” button for chats in the Instagram application.
There are, however, chances for recovery of the deleted message while going to the settings and downloading the Instagram data. It would show some messages saved in particular folders that could be deemed hidden. Nonetheless, this does not work all the time, and you can’t retrieve every deleted message.
Moreover, if you want to use third-party software, you must ensure that they have a good industry reputation and reliability.
With that said, it’s always better to be proactive about chat preservation than to navigate unforeseen challenges later on.
Help your kids navigate social media responsibly, even when recovering deleted messages.
How to recover deleted messages on Instagram: 5 ways
Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms for keeping people in touch with each other. However, if you have mistakenly deleted an important message from your Instagram inbox, there are ways that may assist you in retrieving it. Now, allow me to walk you through step-by-step methods.
Download your Instagram data
While messages may not be found in “Recently Deleted,” you have the option to download your Instagram data, which may contain deleted messages. Here’s how you can do it:
Step 1. Launch the Instagram application and head to your profile.
Step 2. Tap on the menu icon ( three horizontal lines). From the dropdown list, click on the “Your activity” tab.
Step 3. Scroll down until you locate the “Download your information” option. Then click on the “Request a download” button.
Step 4. Now, you have some simple prompts to follow, like choosing the Instagram profile with the data you want to retrieve. You then select “Some of your information”, select “Messages”, and then click on “Next”.
Step 5. You can download data directly to your device or upload it to Google Drive. After that, indicate the media quality (High, Medium, or Low), format (HTML or JSON), and Date range. Finally, press Create files.
Step 6. Instagram will send a notification to the account’s linked email (usually within 48 hours) indicating that the file is ready for download.
Caution: The file can be downloaded only once and will automatically self-destruct after four days for security reasons. So, this is a secure way of obtaining the message data because it is acquired directly from Instagram.
Use third-party message recovery apps
Moreover, there are some third-party tools that offer the service of Instagram message recovery online, by checking the stored cache or backup files in the device. Dr.Fone, iBeesoft, iStaunch, and FoneLab are some of the reliable message recovery applications that claim to assist users in restoring deleted Instagram data from a device. But there are some risks out there, including:
- Privacy issues: There is a breach of privacy because unauthenticated applications can access data on the user’s device.
- Surveillance issues: Similarly, Certain applications harbour unidentified spyware or malware, which may inflict damage to the device or private information.
That’s why it’s always advisable to conduct research and an extensive online review about the apps using online review forums or platforms other than the apps themselves. Do not rely solely on the certificates; take them at your own risk.
Check the Email linked to the Instagram account
In addition, Instagram dispatches emails for several activities such as sending messages, updating account settings, or incorporating new features. If you have notifications turned on, it’s possible that Instagram sent a backup of your messages to your email account. Follow these steps.
- Access the email account associated with your Instagram.
- In your email, look for notifications from Instagram. Be sure to check your spam and trash folders from time to time, as they could be lurking in there.
- Skim through the selected notifications, as they may contain the messages you are looking for.
This method is often overlooked, but can be useful, especially when the deleted message is caused by automatic system updates or glitches, etc., and there is a notification pending.
Directly contact Instagram support
If all else fails, contact the support team directly as a last resort. In this situation, Instagram could help restore messages, but it might be a long and uncertain process. This is how to reach Instagram support.
- Launch Instagram and go to your profile.
- Tap the three horizontal bars located in the upper right corner. Click on Settings.
- Click Help, then Report a Problem.
Alternatively, Instagram support can be accessed through the email address support@instagram.com or by telephone at 650-543-4800. Working through these processes might take longer than expected.
Ask recipients for screenshots of the deleted messages
Sometimes, the person to whom you sent the message may hold the message in their sent messages box. So, we can consider asking them to send us screenshots as follows:
- Politely confirm with the user if they happen to have a certain message.
- If they say yes, you proceed to ask them if they can send you a picture of the chat.
This approach greatly depends on the recipient’s discretion, coupled with the timing of the deletion, thus making it an uncertain option. Nevertheless, it is worth exploring if all else fails.
Common scenarios you may need Instagram message recovery
In this section, we will outline the common scenarios in which one may precisely wish to recover disappearing Instagram direct messages!
Unintentional message removal
When it comes to retrieving messages, the deletion of messages, whether voluntary or involuntary, is quite a common phenomenon. Well, don’t worry if this happens to you. There are ways, quite literally, if you follow the right protocols, to get back your messages.
No data following an application update
This applies to those people who, for some reason, are losing some of their data after the update of Instagram. This happens due to bugs from the updates. However, there is a silver lining. If you are willing to download your Instagram data or even contact customer support, recovering your messages is entirely possible.
Unintentionally deleting chat histories
As some people may wish, removing a single message may lead to the deletion of an entire chat history. For people who find themselves in these situations, third-party recovery programs or email accounts that automatically back up messages become essential.
Instagram glitches or crashes
Every so often, Instagram’s glitches or crashes can result in messages disappearing for some time. If that happens to you, don’t worry. With the help of Instagram’s data download option or support services, these messages can often be recovered.
Changing accounts or devices
Finally, a change in devices or signing into a new account may also result in messages getting missed. After switching devices, if messages are missing, then trying to restore them using Instagram data can be rewarding.
Those are some of the primary reasons that drive a user to recover deleted Instagram messages.
How to see your kids’ deleted Instagram messages?
Monitoring children’s interests while providing them with a certain degree of freedom is important for almost every parent. FlashGet Kids is one of the ways one can track a child’s activity on Instagram, including messages that have already been deleted.
Since FlashGet Kids offers real-time screen mirroring, it shows what a child is doing on their device in real-time. Thus, you can track your kids’ real-time conversations on Instagram.
Another helpful feature is Snapshot, which generates screenshots on a child’s mobile device automatically. This helps capture snapshot pictures for recently deleted messages or chats.
In addition, Notification Tracker also lets you sync notifications from the children’s devices, enabling parents to track notifications on their own devices.
Final words
From all the above discussion, we have concluded that if you have deleted your messages for whatever reason, you have the chance to retrieve them. In this guide, we have explored 5 ways, including through emails, contacting support, and the data download option that Instagram provides.
Whichever method you choose for Instagram message recovery, prioritise the safety and security of your information. Additionally, children’s Instagram activity monitoring software allows precise tracking while ensuring children’s privacy. For that, FlashGet Kids could be a suitable response to concerns, enabling parents to secure their children online without infringing their privacy.
FAQs
Although it becomes difficult to get back any of the messages sent, the recipient can still possess some version of them.
Yes, recovery is possible provided the user has spoken to support or downloaded data. However, the processes involved are tedious as they depend on factors such as the timeframe within which the messages were removed.
Instagram claims that data remains on its server for almost 90 days after deletion, but it doesn’t specify messages. So, activating an official recovery process increases the chances of successful retrieval, provided it is done within the right timeline or specific duration.
Yes, all the information tied to an account, including direct messages (DM’s), gets removed from the platform. However, people to whom the messages were sent will not lose access to messages contained in their inboxes.
