How to Recover Messages from Disabled iPhone: 3 Effective Ways

A disabled iPhone can prevent you from accessing important messages, but that does not always mean they are lost forever. If you have an iTunes or iCloud backup, you may be able to get them back. You can also use a recovery tool to extract messages without restoring the whole backup. In this guide, we will walk you through several simple ways to recover messages from a disabled iPhone.

Part 1: Restore Messages from a Disabled iPhone Using an iTunes Backup

If you have backed up your iPhone to iTunes before it was disabled, you can restore the iTunes backup to recover your messages. Keep in mind that this method restores the entire backup rather than letting you recover messages separately. Also, any data currently on the iPhone may be replaced by the data in the backup.

• Connect your iPhone to the computer that contains your iTunes backup and open iTunes.
• Click the iPhone icon when it appears in iTunes, then select "Summary" from the left sidebar.
• Under the "Backups" section, click "Restore Backup."



• Select the backup you want to use and click "Restore." Wait for the process to finish, and keep your iPhone connected until it restarts and completes the restore.
• After the restore is complete, open the Messages app on your iPhone and check whether the messages you need have been recovered.

Read Also:

• [Solved] Recover Data from iPhone Disabled Connect to iTunes

Part 2: Retrieve Messages from a Disabled iPhone Using an iCloud Backup

If your iPhone was backed up to iCloud before it became disabled, you may be able to get your messages back by restoring that backup. This method requires you to erase the iPhone first, so make sure you know which iCloud backup contains the messages you need. After the restore, your iPhone will return to the state saved in that backup.

• On the disabled iPhone, go to the recovery or reset screen and choose the option to erase the device. If you cannot access the screen, you may need to use a computer to restore the iPhone.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the iPhone again. When you reach the "Apps & Data" screen, select "Restore From iCloud Backup." (Restoring from iCloud Taking Forever?)



• Sign in with the Apple Account used to create the backup, then choose the relevant iCloud backup based on its date and size.
• Keep the iPhone connected to Wi-Fi and power while the restore process runs. Wait until the apps and data finish downloading.
• Open the Messages app after the restore is complete and check whether the messages you need are available.

Part 3: Recover Messages from a Disabled iPhone Without Losing Data

If you don't want to erase or overwrite the data on your iPhone, a dedicated recovery tool can give you another option. MobiKin Doctor for iOS can scan iTunes backup files, preview existing and recoverable data, and selectively export supported files to your computer instead of restoring an entire backup. It also supports to recover data from iPhone directly without any backup, and provides an iCloud recovery mode for extracting supported data from iCloud without resetting the iPhone.

Brief Overview of Doctor for iOS:

• Recover messages from iTunes backups without restoring the entire backup.
• Preview messages and message attachments before recovery.
• Save recovered messages to your computer in readable formats.
• Recover deleted data from iPhone/iPad directly without any backup.
• Extract supported data from iCloud without restoring the whole iPhone.
• Recover messages, contacts, call logs, photos, videos, music, calendars, notes and more types of data.

To recover messages from an iTunes backup without overwriting your current iPhone data:

Step 1: Download and launch MobiKin Doctor for iOS on your computer, then select "Recover from iTunes Backup File" from the left sidebar. Choose the iTunes backup you want to scan and click "Start Scan."

Step 2: Select "Messages" from the available data types and click "Start Scan." The program will scan the selected backup and display the available messages.

Step 3: Preview the messages and select the ones you want to recover. Then click "Recover to Computer" to save them to your computer.

Video Guide:

Conclusion

Recovering messages from a disabled iPhone is still possible if you have a backup or use the right recovery method. iTunes and iCloud backups can help restore your data, while MobiKin Doctor for iOS provides a more flexible way to preview and recover messages without replacing existing content. Choose the method that fits your situation and follow the steps carefully to get your important messages back.

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