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Start with the messaging app you used: Samsung Messages has a Trash folder, and Google Messages also documents a Trash folder where conversations can be restored within 30 days. If the message is no longer there, recovery depends on whether a Samsung Cloud, Google account, or Smart Switch backup from before deletion contains it. Samsung’s instructions are general Galaxy guidance; they do not specify a separate recovery process for the S21, S22, or S23.
1. Check the messaging app’s Trash
Restore from Trash first because it does not require replacing the phone’s current data with a backup. The steps depend on whether the conversation was in Samsung Messages or Google Messages.
Samsung Messages
- Open Samsung Messages.
- Tap More options (the three-dot menu), then tap Trash.
- Touch and hold the deleted message. Select any additional messages you want to recover.
- Tap Restore or Restore all.
This works only if Samsung Messages was the app used and the message is still in its Trash folder. See Samsung’s message-recovery instructions.
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- Open Google Messages.
- Tap your profile picture or the More menu, then tap Trash.
- Touch and hold the conversation, then tap Restore.
Google’s current help documentation says conversations can be restored from Trash within 30 days; after that, they are permanently deleted. If you permanently deleted the conversation from Trash, Google says it cannot be restored from that folder. The Trash option may not appear in every app version or account configuration. Follow Google’s current Trash instructions if the menu differs.
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2. Check whether the conversation was archived
An archived conversation is hidden from the main list, not deleted. In Google Messages, open Archived, select the conversation, and unarchive it. Samsung’s recovery guide also directs Google Messages users to check Archived, but its statement that deleted conversations are permanent does not reflect Google’s newer Trash instructions. For deleted Google Messages conversations, use Google’s current Trash guidance above.
3. Restore Messages from Samsung Cloud
If the message is no longer in Trash, a Samsung Cloud backup may contain it if the backup was made before deletion. The phone must be signed in to the Samsung account associated with that backup.
- On the Galaxy phone, open Settings > Accounts and backup > Restore data under Samsung Cloud.
- Select the device backup that may contain the conversation.
- Select Messages, tap Restore, and follow the remaining prompts.
Samsung Cloud supports text, multimedia, and enhanced messages, but some large messages may not be backed up. Availability and coverage can vary by country, carrier, and device model. See Samsung’s backup and restore guidance and Samsung Cloud’s supported data information.
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4. Consider a Google account device backup
Samsung describes restoring backed-up texts from a Google account during setup of a new phone or after a factory reset. This is a device-backup restore, not a documented way to undelete one conversation in place. Samsung says the restore phone must have the same Android version as the backup or a newer one.
Do not reset the phone just to try this unless you have verified that an eligible backup exists and understand the consequences. A reset is disruptive, and a backup created after deletion may not contain the missing messages. See Samsung’s backup and restore guidance.
5. Restore a Smart Switch backup
Smart Switch can transfer messages from another phone or restore a saved backup from a computer or supported external storage. The useful copy must have been created before the messages were deleted.
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- Another phone: Use Smart Switch to transfer data from a source phone that still has the conversation.
- Computer: Restore the saved Smart Switch backup to a phone. Samsung says the backup file cannot be read as message conversations on the computer itself.
- External storage: Restore from a supported USB flash drive, SD card, or SSD. A USB OTG adapter may be needed for some setups; device and storage support vary.
For available restore paths and steps, see Samsung’s Smart Switch and message-recovery instructions and Samsung’s backup guidance.
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| Where a copy may be | What to try | Main constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Messages Trash | Restore from More options > Trash | Only if Samsung Messages was used and the message remains in Trash. |
| Google Messages Trash | Restore from Profile picture or More > Trash | Google documents a 30-day restore window; the Trash folder must be available in your app version. |
| Google Messages Archive | Unarchive the conversation | Applies to hidden, archived conversations—not deleted ones. |
| Samsung Cloud | Restore the Messages category from Settings > Accounts and backup > Restore data | Requires a relevant Samsung Cloud backup from before deletion; coverage varies. |
| Google account device backup | Restore during phone setup or after a factory reset | Requires an eligible backup and may require a reset; same or newer Android version is required. |
| Smart Switch backup or source phone | Transfer from the source phone or restore the saved backup to a phone | Requires an existing copy and compatible device or storage; computer backup files are not readable as conversations on the computer. |
If none of those options works
If the message is not in Trash or Archive and no relevant backup from before deletion exists, the official Samsung and Google instructions cited here do not establish another recovery method. They do not validate third-party apps that claim to recover deleted SMS. Avoid granting an unfamiliar app broad access to private messages based on an unverified recovery promise.
Menu names and availability can vary with app version, Android version, region, carrier, and account setup. If a step does not match your screen, first confirm which messaging app handled the conversation and check that app’s current help page.
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