How to See Unsent Messages on iPhone: What You Need to Know

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Find unsent messages on iMessage or Facebook Messenger

Co-authored by Rain Kengly Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: October 17, 2024 Fact Checked

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Can you view unsent messages on iPhone?

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Adjusting Notification Settings

Did someone send you a text message but unsent it immediately? If you're curious about what the message said, you may be in luck if you have a device running an older iOS (iOS 15 or earlier). If you're using iOS 16 or later, seeing unsent messages is no longer possible. This wikiHow will explain everything you need to know about seeing unsent messages on an iPhone.

Retrieving Unsent iMessages on iPhone

If you are using iOS 16 or later, you can't see unsent messages. This option was only available in iOS 15 and earlier. To stay on top of your messages, adjust your notification settings to always show previews.

Section 1 of 2:

Can you view unsent messages on iPhone?

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You can't see unsent messages on iOS 16 or newer. However, you may be able to see old messages if you have an old iPhone or iPad running iOS 15 or older. This can also work for Macs running macOS 12 (Monterey) or older. Since it's very unlikely to have an older iOS device, you can try adjusting your notification settings to make sure you don't miss any notifications before they're unsent.
- To see Messages on other devices, you must have iCloud and iCloud Keychain enabled on both devices. Just open the Messages app on the old device to see unsent messages.
- Similar to unsent messages on iMessage, you cannot retrieve deleted messages from Facebook Messenger, but you can adjust your notification settings.

Section 2 of 2:

Adjusting Notification Settings

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1
Open Settings. This is the grey cog icon.
- You can change your notification settings for all apps, including Messages and Facebook Messenger.
This is towards the middle of the page.
3
Tap Messages. If you want to edit the notifications for Facebook Messenger, tap Messenger.
- If Allow Notifications isn't already toggled on, tap it to do so now.
This is underneath the Alerts header.^{[1]
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5
Set "Show Previews" to "Always". This is under the Lock Screen Appearance header.
- This will ensure notifications will stay on your iPhone. If a message is unsent, you'll still see the first notification containing the unsent text.