Hearsay cannot extract or recover permanently deleted messages. This article covers how deleted messages are handled on both iPhone and Android, what the “gaps” in your data may mean, and the different types of deletion reports available. In general, if a message is no longer on the device at the time of extraction, the Hearsay system will not be able to determine the source, destination or content. In some cases, however, we can detect that there is something missing.
iPhone: Messages in the Recently Deleted folder
iPhones running newer versions of iOS (iOS 16+) include a Recently Deleted folder in the Messages app. This folder allows a user to view messages that have been deleted, recover them, or permanently delete them. When a message or conversation is deleted from view it moves to that folder for up to 40 days unless permanently erased sooner.
If a message is still in the Recently Deleted folder when an extraction is performed, Hearsay will automatically retrieve that message and its content. If the message has been wiped, either manually or automatically after the 40 day period, Hearsay cannot extract or recover it.
Android: What happens to deleted messages
Once a message is deleted from an Android device, Hearsay cannot extract or recover it. Android devices do not have a Recently Deleted folder. And, if the message is gone from the phone, Hearsay cannot extract or recover it.
What deletion reporting options does Hearsay offer?
Recently Deleted Messages
Hearsay automatically collects any messages that were preserved from the Recently Deleted Folder. By default, these messages will be displayed in the timeline view and PDF exports of any conversation. Any recovered items from the iPhone’s Recently Deleted folder will be labeled appropriately in the timeline view and PDF export. You can select to hide these messages and toggle of this label.
Gap Analysis
When a message is deleted from a phone, it leaves an artifact that a message was there. We can determine messages are missing from the phone's database, but the artifact does not provide enough information to determine what the content was, who the sender was or who the recipients were. The missing message creates a gap in the phone's timeline and, included in every extraction, Hearsay automatically provides a "Gap Analysis" of all missing messages. These gaps can be presented in two ways:
1. Deleted Message Report
This adds an appendix at the end of the PDF listing all messages deleted from the phone during the timeframe of the conversation. This includes messages that may not be part of the specific thread you are reviewing.
2. Deleted Message Marks Inline
This option inserts a printed line within the conversation thread showing how many messages were deleted between two visible messages. It includes the total number of deleted messages and the date range, based on metadata. This does not confirm that the deleted messages were part of the visible thread — only that they were deleted from the phone during that time window.
What about unsent messages?
When someone unsends a message on iPhone, Apple overwrites it with the label “unsent” on both sides of the conversation. Hearsay will show that something was there, but we will not be able to display the original content — only the word unsent.
This action typically has a short time window and is not the same as a deleted message.
Important details about deletion reporting
We cannot determine the content, sender, or recipient of a deleted message so deleted messages may belong to any thread on the device, not just the one you are reviewing.
When a gap is shown it might indicate:
A message was deleted that was sent OR received by this device.
A message was deleted from a different conversation (happening at the same time).
A a one-time password, spam, or system alert that was automatically deleted.
Hearsay only reports deletions from the phone that was extracted and we cannot determine if a message was deleted in a conversation from any other phones involved. Those devices would also need to be extracted and analyzed by the Hearsay Extractor.
For more tips on how to interpret a Gap Analysis, please reach out to support@usehearsay.com.