Recovering iMessages/SMS?

[imacken]

I have, very stupidly, just done a software update from a ipsw file without backing up my iPhone first! So, the last backup on iTunes is 11 November!
Is there any way of recovering my iMessages and SMSs? They are all still on my Mac and iPad.
Why oh why, are these messages not stored in the Cloud?

 

[yjchua95]

I have, very stupidly, just done a software update from a ipsw file without backing up my iPhone first! So, the last backup on iTunes is 11 November!
Is there any way of recovering my iMessages and SMSs? They are all still on my Mac and iPad.
Why oh why, are these messages not stored in the Cloud?

Your own fault for not enabling iCloud backup, which performs backups to iCloud automatically over wi-fi.

 

[imacken]

Your own fault for not enabling iCloud backup, which performs backups to iCloud automatically over wi-fi.

Thanks for your REALLY helpful reply.
Actually, I do have iCloud backup enabled but can't see an option to restore in iTunes. I restored to my latest backup from iTunes which was in November, and iTunes says this phone has never been backed up to iCloud, which I know is not true as it gets backed up every night.

 

[imacken]

Sorted! iCloud backup was the answer, but had to restore from device. No option within iTunes.

 

[dcharleyultra]

Sorted! iCloud backup was the answer, but had to restore from device. No option within iTunes.

What did you have to do?

 

[imacken]

Go to Settings>General>Reset>Erase All Content and Settings, then on the Setup Assistant, select restore from iCloud Backup!

 

[viorelgn]

Recovering a deleted SMS is something many of us need to do from time to time. This guide explains when undeleting an SMS is possible, which tools are required and how the process works.One doesn't need to be a forensic detective, or a suspecting spouse in order to need such a feature; you'll be surprised to see that most companies that offer SIM card recovery tools use sample screenshots with an undeleted SMS saying something like "he is not coming back tonight, let's do it again" or "last night was great". Let's give humanity a chance. Undeleting a SMS is what normal people need too, from time to time you receive important data via SMS (an address, a phone number) or write such data to one and save it in the outbox (ex: a password, a PIN, etc) in order to retrieve it later – this is where a deleted SMS can be a problem. A SIM card recovery tool is handy in such cases.