Many iPhone users ignore their call logs until they actually need them. Unfortunately, getting the erased call history back isn’t exactly a simple one-way process. To clarify, unlike your Gallery and other iPhone apps, there is no Recently Deleted folder for the deleted call logs. Thankfully, there are multiple ways to recover the deleted call history on an iPhone. In this article, we will study the reasons you lost your iPhone call history and how to restore it. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Why Did I Lose Call Logs from My iPhone?
The iPhone only records up to 100 call logs in its call history by default. As a result, any call history beyond the latest 100 call logs gets automatically deleted. In other words, your iPhone call history cannot contain more than 100 call logs in most cases.
Meanwhile, you can also accidentally delete the call history of your iPhone via another device if both the device and your iPhone are connected to a single iCloud account. If one iCloud account is connected to multiple iOS devices, then all these devices will have access to your iPhone’s call history. Consequently, if you delete the call history from one smartphone or tablet, this may erase the call history from the other devices as well.
View Deleted Call History without Recovering It Directly
Your call history is private data. Thus, there aren’t many ways to view your deleted call history without retrieving it first. Fortunately, there are two solid ways that might allow you to check your call history without restoring it. Even though we recommend the recovery procedure, sometimes, going through the hectic process of getting call logs might not be worth the effort. Thus, if you just want to view your past call logs, use the following methods.
1. Request the Data from Your Cellular Carrier
This is the best way to view your deleted call history without recovering it or using any third-party application. All you have to do is contact your mobile network carrier, make a request, and verify your identity. This method works most of the time if you are using one of the most famous cellular carriers in your country.
2. Contact Apple
Every iPhone user can contact Apple and request a spreadsheet of past contact attempts via iMessage and FaceTime. This spreadsheet will contain the time of contact attempts, specific device, contact number of the other party, and more details. Please note that this file only showcases the contact attempt details. It doesn’t show you whether the contact attempt was successful. Follow these instructions to get the spreadsheet containing the list of contact attempts:
- Go to the official page of Apple data and privacy.
- Next, use your Apple ID credentials to sign in and click on the “Request a copy of your data” option.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to receive the spreadsheet containing the contact attempt details.
Guide to Recover Deleted Call History on iPhone
If the techniques we mentioned above didn’t satisfy your needs, it’s time to look at the following methods to recover the deleted call history on an iPhone.
1. Use iCloud to Restore Removed Call Logs from iPhone
Is iCloud always active on your iPhone, even during your calls? If that’s the case, you can use iCloud to restore your deleted call history. This method will not only restore past call logs but also rescue other data and files from iCloud backups. Ergo, you should always backup your current iPhone data before using this method. Now, let’s show you how to use iCloud to recover deleted call history on your iPhone:
- Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
- Now, navigate to General → Reset → Erase All Content and Settings. Please note that this step will erase your iPhone’s data. Again, you must create a backup of your iPhone data before initiating this step.
- Once your iPhone reboots, follow the on-screen instructions until the “App & Data” screen shows up. Here, tap on the “Restore from iCloud Backup” option.
- Next, log in to iCloud using your Apple ID and choose an iCloud backup that holds the data you’re looking to recover.
- Wait for the recovery process to finish. Once that is done, you can see the past call logs.
2. Retrieve Erased Call History on iPhone Using Finder
Do you have a Mac? Do you regularly backup your iPhone data using Finder? If you do, then you can also recover deleted call history on your iPhone using Finder. Like the previous method, this restoration process also requires you to backup your current iPhone’s data before starting to recover the call history. Do so in a different location and follow these instructions:
- Connect your iPhone to the Mac using a Lightning cable and open “Finder.”
- Next, click on your iPhone from the left panel of the Finder window.
- Now, open the “General” tab and scroll down to the “Backups” section.
- Click on the “Restore Backup” option.
- Select one of the available backups that might contain the old call history.
- Type the Mac account password and click the “Restore” button.
Please wait for a few minutes until the restoration process is complete. When your iPhone reboots, you should be able to see your old call logs in the “Call History” section.
3. Use a Professional Data Recovery Application
Using a renowned data recovery app is the best way to recover the deleted call history on an iPhone. Ensure that the data recovery application of your choice comes from a well-known data retrieving company and that it has tons of positive reviews from consumers and data recovery experts. Interestingly, most professional data recovery software uses a similar process. Therefore, all you have to do is to install it on your Mac and follow these steps:
- Connect the iPhone to your Mac using a Lightning cable and launch the data recovery application.
- Now, select your iPhone from the available choices of devices and drives, and click on the “Search for lost data” or “Scan” button.
- Wait for the scanning process to conclude. Once that happens, you can review all the recoverable data deleted from your iPhone.
- Use the in-app filters to narrow down your search to the call history of your iPhone. Select the files you want to restore and click on the “Recover” button.
- Select a folder where you would like to store the recovered data and click on the “OK” button.
That’s it. The call history files you have selected will be downloaded to your chosen directory.
