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How to retrieve Deleted iMessages and How to Backup iMessages on iCloud?

Soling

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I intended to delete one iMessage but accidentally deleted the whole conversation. I Googled and found that I could retrieve deleted iMessages if I have activated iCloud Backup on my iPhone 6. I have, but when I logged onto iCloud.com, there is no Message icon to view. I went to my iPhone settings and found Message was not included in the preset list and cannot find any way to add Message to the Backup list. How can I retrieve my deleted iMessages? I tried downloading a couple of free apps but they need registration or offer free trial, etc. If I cannot salvage my deleted iMessage because my IMessages were not backed up, what do I need to do going forward to make sure iMessages are backed up at the same time when my Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, etc. are backed up?
 
Welcome to iPhoneForums, Soling!

You can't access your backups when you go to icloud.com.
To retrieve these messages, if they are included in your most recent backup, you'll have to erase your iPhone and use the backup with the messages to restore from.
Messages are included in an iCloud backup, whereas contacts and emails (iCloud account) are not, because they are already stored in iCloud.

If you own more Apple devices than just the iPhone, and they all sync messages, you might still find the deleted iMessages on one of the other Apple devices (iPad, MacBook, Mac, ...).

Hope that helps.
 
Welcome to iPhoneForums, Soling!

You can't access your backups when you go to icloud.com.
To retrieve these messages, if they are included in your most recent backup, you'll have to erase your iPhone and use the backup with the messages to restore from.
Messages are included in an iCloud backup, whereas contacts and emails (iCloud account) are not, because they are already stored in iCloud.

If you own more Apple devices than just the iPhone, and they all sync messages, you might still find the deleted iMessages on one of the other Apple devices (iPad, MacBook, Mac, ...).

Hope that helps.
For your information - here's what's included in an iCloud backup:
iCloud iCloud storage and backup overview

And here are the instructions how to restore from an iCloud backup:
iCloud Restore or set up your iOS device from iCloud

Thank you for your instructions. They are very helpful! I did read online earlier that I needed to go to Settings, Reset and Erase all content and settings, but I was and still am reluctant to do so in fear of losing more data and didn't know what to do from there afterwards. Your links gave me more info to proceed that way if I need to. I do have an iPad and after reading your response, I was able to find that deleted conversation on my iPad. Hurray! One more question, when my iPhone and iPad sync tonight at a preset time to backup in iCloud, will the deleted messages disappear from both devices? Which device governs, or will they be independ of each other? Sorry if these are stupid questions, but I am not good at all with technology. Too bad we cannot view Messages on iCloud.com, only Mail, etc. It would have been useful.
 
Backing up and syncing are different.

Syncing happens as soon as something changes, in your contacts, your calendar, your emails, ...

A backup to iCloud will automatically be created once a day only, and it will only take place when the device is connected to Wi-Fi, locked and charging.
So if you don't connect your iPad to a power source for more than a day, it won't backup for more than a day, just as an example.

When one of your devices backs up, the messages won't disappear. I don't know if this is a feature or a glitch. However, there's no "dominant" device. The messages have to be deleted from every device manually.
 
So if I don't delete from my iPad those same messages that I deleted from my iPhone, they will stay on my iPad to view and will be stored (backed up) in my iPad iCloud when I next charge it (with wifi and locked)? And, If I want to delete an iMessage, I need to delete it twice, one from my iPhone, and again from my iPad?
 
So if I don't delete from my iPad those same messages that I deleted from my iPhone, they will stay on my iPad to view and will be stored (backed up) in my iPad iCloud when I next charge it (with wifi and locked)? And, If I want to delete an iMessage, I need to delete it twice, one from my iPhone, and again from my iPad?
Correct.
That's how it's working on my Apple devices.
 
Hi, if you log in your icloud account at www.icloud.com, you will not find the messages icon. The message data is saved in the iCloud backup file. So you need to download it with certain software or you just restore your iPhone with iCloud. If you choose to restore your iPhone with iCloud, your iPhone will become the same as the backup file, so the new data after you make the iCloud backup file will be wiped. If you choose to use third party software to download and extract the iMessages from the iCloud back, you can recover deleted iMessages from iCloud backup file to your computer. You can not merge it to the iMessages conversation on your iPhone. Your choice.
 
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