Select the instant message app on your phone and go to your recent discussions. To search a conversation you previously archived, click the search bar. Select it, then choose Unarchive Message from the drop-down menu to unarchive it.

If you accept, your copy of the conversation will be permanently deleted and you’ll be asked to confirm. Your message will then be removed from your version of the conversation, but it will remain in everyone else’s correspondence.

If you delete the whole text conversation by accident and don’t have a backup, use PhoneRescue for iOS to retrieve those lost messages without one.

Open the Google Drive app. Under Menu, select Settings. Select Google Backup from the list of options. If your device has been backed up, you should see it listed under Choose Google Backup. Select your device’s name. You should see SMS Text Messages with a timestamp showing when the most recent backup occurred.

At the top of the screen, open Settings and go to your name or photo. Select iCloud > Manage Storage, then Backups. You’ll see a list of available backups; select one to view when it was generated.