It seems that some users are experiencing this problem. The problem is that the Messages app stops working properly for some users after updating their iPhone or iPad devices to the latest iOS software version or after restarting their devices. More specifically, here are the some symptoms that users are having:
- The Messages app is only showing a blank, white screen, meaning all messages (text – SMS- and iMessages) seem to have disappeared and gone; however still red number badge indicates that there are some new messages.
- Unable to send and receive new messages
- The send (green or blue) arrow button is not working
- Text message notifications and previews on the lock screen seem to be working
See also: Cannot Send or Receve Messages on Your Mac?
Text messages disappeared from iPhone or iPad?
Use these steps if the Messages app stops responding, or you encounter a problem while trying to access your messages. After each step, please check to see if your is resolved.
- Restart your device. You may do so by going to Settings > General > Shut Down (iOS 11 or later)
- Force restart your device. Read this article to learn how you can do this.
- Turn on Airplay mode and wait a few seconds and turn it back off.
- Go to Settings > Messages > Keep Messages and select 30 days (note that this option will delete your old messages, you may skip this if you do not want to that) and tap Delete.
- Go to Settings > Messages and turn off iMessage and then MMS Messaging and wait a few seconds and turn them back on.
- Update your device to the latest version of iOS. You can do that wirelessly by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
- The last option is that you do a Factory Reset on the iPhone and restore from a recent backup file, if you still have this problem. Here is how:
- Before you do anything, make sure that you have a backup file. You can check this by going to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Storage > Manage Storage > Back ups, where you can see all of your backups.
- If you want, especially if you do not have any back up, you can back up your device. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and then tap Back Up Now (note that you can turn on iCloud Backup to automatically back up your device).
- Now you have a backup file, simply go to Settings > General > Reset, then tap “Erase all content and settings.” Simply follow the instructions. Make sure that you select Restore from iCloud Backup.
See also: Messages not in the right order?
I have to restart my phone about once a week when this happens. All of a sudden, text screen goes blank. Once I restart they all come back. Why is this happening and how do we fix it???
Again, I am finding random messages – years worth gone.On September 15th I wrote about this and still complete silence from Apple. What the hell, I have done everything this site said to do to retrieve them and nothing.
Thanks a lot Apple….
2 of my text message threads suddenly disappeared yesterday. Nothing I did, just GONE!
I reset my phone and used the icloud backup form the night before, however, those 2 text message threads DID NOT appear!!! I’m determined to get these text messages back. This is so frustrating. How can I get these texts back???
Were you able to get them back? 😓 it did the EXACT same thing to me smh
This is exactly what happened to me 🙁 Did you get them back?
Were you able to receive the message threads? I’m currently having an issue in which selective messages are not being downloaded to my iMac. It’s fine on both my iPhone and MacBook, but for some strange reason my iMac is giving me problems… and I just received it!
Hi Susan, I too have had problems with lost/disappearing messages. I currently have four contacts that I have lost ALL MESSAGES-years worth of messages. This has to be a glitch with Apples last two updates. I have tried to get help but of course you have to pay for it and I truly don’t think they have a ‘fix’ for this issue.
just lost a lot of messages – went into settings and see it was set to delete after 30 days! except I didnt set it. I had set to keep forever – and my phone is kept locked so no one else changed this.
How’s this for poor tech. My text messages with my wife disappeared one year to the day after we met. All the pictures and flirting we did as a new couple is gone. Thanks for the memory erase Apple
my sms were supposed to stay “forever” but thanks to apple’s poor technology – they disappeared without any “wrong” doing from my side. Since, I have gone through countless articles as how to recover your lost sms messages. All these articles, I found them absolutely useless. They do not fix anything. At the end all of them will refer you to a third party who sells an app which they claim it fixes the issue. Shame on iphone and apple.
Were you able to recover your texts with any of those apps??
I lost all my messages! So grateful that I found this site. This worked for me. THANK YOU so much for this!!!!!!
It Worked!
Turning off iMessage and SMS messages from settings, waiting 15 seconds and then turning them back on…. restored all my text message history!
Thank You 🙏
I wish this worked for me but it hasn’t.
It’s so frustrating!!!
Suddenly lost a couple of years worth of important text messages — business stuff and the like, and the only ones that are showing are from last month. The phone was not set to delete the missing texts either.
Tried a commercial app. (phonerescue) but they’re simply not showing up on that either and when I compare my iTunes backups there’s a five or six year gap (they’re there right up to 2015 and nothing between then and 2020).
Very worrying! Have to sleep on it and then go mad!
13 February at least 10 full treads of iMessage and SMS of couple of years is gone. Did everything above nothing happened. They are just lost! Been apple store for a Mac book pro issue they said they have to reinstall everything because there is a bug which erase randomly, and my computer is one of them. I said how is it possible that I have not received a message from apple for this very grave issue he could not know. Hard copy of everything is necessary
Mine is doing the same! How do we resolve this? I have to go to an Apple store?
Coincidentally after reading the article about Apple getting fined for slowing phones to force people to buy new ones, my messages have left. Tried turning off both messaging choices, tried turning phone off & on – still gone. Last payment on phone was December….🤔🤔🤔😡
A number of my text messages ( whole threads) disappeared. Others are perfectly Ok. My phone is set to keep text messages forever.
Please help. Many of the messages are important I need to get them back.
Same here. I’m very upset to lose the text history with my daughter.
I lost all the text messages, GIFS and photos from a favorite contact. Spent months with a senior advisor from Apple Care trying to restore but to no avail. Gave up then it happened again; never found cause.I payed a monthly fee for iCloud storage to prevent this. It’s so upsetting. Ready to trash phone.
Same thing has happened to me. Very upset with Apple. they are no longer the customer friendly, customer caring company they once were. There products and their customer service have greatly diminished in quality. I can see in icloud, that at least some of my text messages still exist, but have to buy another phone to use to try to get them. Just ridiculous! Completely unacceptable.
It worked!!!! I now have all my deleted messages back!!! I’m forever grateful!!! Than you !!
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼😅😅🙏🏼🙏🏼😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅 🙏🏼
What did you do to get everything back
Same issue. Did anyone find a fix? I didn’t have anything backed up so I am nervous about resetting. I’ve read their are third party restoring methods but that seems sketchy.
Laura- I have the same problem. All my old messages disappeared. But you can still find the text when you do a search, so they are in there. I have not found a solution.
All my messages suddenly disappeared for no reason. I tried this, tried hard resetting my phone, and restoring my setting and none of these options worked. The weird part is when I search in my texts it will find texts with certain words in them but I can’t click on them. help!
Thank you! I was in a texting conversation and suddenly the spinning wheel appeared on my phone and the screen went blank as though the battery was out of charge. I quickly plugged it in and still had 35% on the battery. When I tried to resume my texting, I noticed I was only able to view the messages I had sent in the last few minutes. All of my previous messages were missing. I followed your directions by turning off “imessage and MMS messaging” and then turning them back on. Everything was restored at that point.
Thanks sooooooooo much! Now if I only understood what caused this to happen. So strange!