Recovering Deleted WhatsApp Chats from a Deceased Loved One: A Guide
Losing access to cherished conversations with a loved one can be an emotional and distressing experience, especially when those chats hold precious memories. If you find yourself in a situation where WhatsApp messages with your late father have disappeared from his device, you may wonder if there’s any way to recover them. This article provides an overview of potential options and considerations for attempting to retrieve lost WhatsApp chats in such circumstances.
Understanding the Situation
In this scenario, the user had regular WhatsApp conversations with their father until 2022, all stored on his phone. Recently, they discovered that the chat history with their father has been partially deleted or missing, with only recent two months’ conversations remaining. The user’s last successful backup on Google Drive was on July 21, but that backup does not contain the older chats. The user has already copied the local backup file to their PC but is unsure whether recovery is possible.
Possible Avenues for Data Recovery
- Check Local Backup Files
WhatsApp periodically creates local backups stored on the device’s internal storage or SD card (usually every night at 2 AM). These backups are saved as files named msgstore.db.crypt12
, with different timestamps indicating their creation date. If these files are intact, restoring from an earlier local backup might recover older messages.
Steps:
- Connect the deceased device to a computer and locate the WhatsApp backup folder, typically at
/sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases/
. - Identify the backup files with timestamps prior to the deletion.
- Transfer the desired backup file to a safe location on your computer.
- Reinstall WhatsApp on the device (or on a different device), and when prompted, restore from the selected local backup.
Note: Restoring old backups will overwrite current messages. Be sure to back up current data before proceeding.
- Utilize Third-Party Data Recovery Tools
Several data recovery software solutions claim to recover deleted WhatsApp data from Android devices, including:
- Dr.Fone – Data Recovery (Android)
- Tenorshare UltData for Android
- DiskDigger
- EaseUS MobiSaver
Important considerations:
- These tools often require root access to the device for more effective recovery.
- Success rates vary depending on device, storage conditions, and previous data overwrites.
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Use reputable software and be cautious with your privacy.
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**Consulting
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