Ever seen a WhatsApp message pop up, only to be deleted before you could read it? And no matter how many times you ask, the sender won’t spill the beans. That curiosity burns, right?

Well, here’s the good news: you can read deleted WhatsApp messages, and it’s easier than you think. Let’s walk you through the safest and simplest ways to do it.

Option 1: Use Notification History (No App Needed)

If you’re using Android 11 or above, your phone already has a Notification History feature built in. Here’s how to activate it:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap on Notifications
3. Select More Settings
4. Tap Notification History
5. Turn it ON

Once enabled, your phone will keep track of all notifications—including WhatsApp messages—for the last 24 hours. So even if someone deletes a text message, it may still show up in this history log.

Note: This only works for text messages. Photos, videos, and voice notes won’t appear here.

Option 2: Try Third-Party Apps (With Caution)

Several third-party apps on the Google Play Store claim to recover deleted WhatsApp messages. Just search for “WhatsApp deleted messages" and you’ll find many with high ratings and millions of downloads.

These apps generally work by reading your phone’s notification access—they store messages as they appear in real time. So when a message gets deleted, they already have it saved.

Sounds useful? Yes. But there’s a catch.

Privacy Warning: These apps read every notification on your phone, including personal messages. Once you give them access, you can’t always be sure how they use that data. So, use these apps only if you trust the developer and are aware of the risks.

What About Chat Backups?

Technically, you can restore deleted messages from a WhatsApp backup—but only if:

The message was backed up before it was deleted

You’re willing to uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp

WhatsApp offers three backup frequency options: Daily, Weekly, and Monthly. But since most people delete a message within seconds of sending it, chances are it never made it to the backup.

If you’re just curious about a deleted text, Notification History is your safest bet—no apps needed. But if you’re desperate to dig deeper, use third-party apps carefully, knowing the trade-off is your data privacy.

So next time someone sneakily deletes a message, you don’t have to be left wondering what it was. Just scroll, check, and know.