How To Search Text Messages By Date On Android? All Answers

The default messaging apps for Android and iOS — you know, the app you use to exchange all those text messages, photos, and videos — can do a lot more than you might think. Not only can you forward text messages you’ve received, but (depending on whether you’re using an iPhone or Android phone) you can find out when a particular message was sent or received, silence an annoying group thread, or “block” one. message that is particularly important. You can even trade in a whole new messaging app if you’re not happy with the “default” app.

Read on for seven texting tricks you need to know, starting with…

Forward a message

Image: Ben Patterson Want to silence an annoying group thread? Open the message thread, tap Details, then toggle the Do Not Disturb switch.

Sounds easy, but forwarding a text or picture message to someone else on an iOS or Android device isn’t easy if you’ve never done it before.

In the name of creating the thinnest and most spartan user interface, the messaging apps for iOS and Android hide forward controls behind a few touch gestures.

For Android: Tap and hold the message you want to forward, then tap the Forward button. The text of the message is then pasted into a new message that you can address to anyone.

For iOS: tap and hold the message you want to forward; When you do that, you’ll see a pop-up with a few different buttons (e.g. “Copy” and “Speak”). Tap the More button and then tap the small forward arrow in the lower-right corner of the screen.

Find out when a text message was sent or received

Image: Ben Patterson Do you have iOS? Tap and hold a message, then drag it from right to left to see its timestamp.

The Android messaging app does a good job of timestamping every text message within a thread; iOS, not so much.

Sure, you’ll see a date and time stamp marking every single text message in a thread, but nothing for every single message — that is, unless you know that particular little trick.

For iOS: Tap and hold a text message, then gently swipe it from right to left; When you do this, you’ll see a column of timestamps on the right.

For Android: Yes, Android text messages are already timestamped, but you can still get accurate information about when and to whom a single message was sent. Just tap and hold the message, then tap Details.

Mute disruptive group thread (iOS)

Image: Ben Patterson Want to silence an annoying group thread? Open the message thread, tap Details, then toggle the Do Not Disturb switch.

Ever get stuck in a group texting thread that just won’t stop? If you have an iPhone or iPad running iOS 8, there’s an easy way to silence the chatter.

Open the group thread that’s bugging you, tap the Details button in the top corner, scroll down, and toggle the Do Not Disturb toggle.

Ah, the sound of silence.

Automatically delete old text and picture messages

A single text message takes up a tiny amount of data on your phone, but eventually, all small messages add up — especially when images or video clips are attached.

Image: Ben Patterson Your Android phone can automatically delete old text and picture messages if the right setting is enabled.

Luckily, both the iOS and Android messaging apps have a handy setting that automatically discards older text and picture messages, which is perfect for keeping your phone’s storage from being cluttered with old SMS threads.

For Android:

● Open the messaging app, tap the three-dot menu in the top corner of the screen, and then tap Settings.

● Scroll down to the Storage section and make sure the Delete old messages setting is turned on.

● Tap SMS Limit, select the maximum number of messages that can be stored in a message thread before deleting older ones, and then tap the Set button.

● Finally, tap Multimedia messaging limit and do the same. Since picture and video messages take up a lot more storage space than a text message (think a megabyte or two instead of just a few tiny kilobytes), you should choose a lower number — somewhere in the 50 to 100 range.

For iOS:

● Tap Settings, Messages, scroll down and tap Keep Messages (under the Message History heading).

● Decide for yourself how long you want to keep old text messages before deleting them: 30 days, a whole year or forever and ever. In case you’re wondering, no – there are no custom settings.

“Block” SMS (Android)

Old SMS that delete themselves automatically? Sounds like a great idea – until a key message vanishes in a puff of smoke.

Image: Ben Patterson Just “lock” any important messages you want to keep so you don’t accidentally delete them.

If there is a certain text message that you definitely need to keep, you can “lock” it in your Android phone’s storage to perfectly protect it from the “Delete Old Messages” setting.

Just tap and hold the message, then tap Lock. A small padlock icon will appear on the protected message.

Image: Ben Patterson The latest version of Messages for iOS lets you see all the photos and video clips in a specific message thread at once.

View all photos and videos in a message thread (iOS)

A huge message thread with a loved one is likely interspersed with images and video clips from days, weeks, or even months ago, making it quite a challenge to scroll all the way back in search of a specific snap.

However, the good news is that the latest version of Messages for iOS lets you view all the photos and video clips in a specific message thread at once.

Open a thread, then tap the Details button in the top corner of the screen. Scroll down to the Attachments section and there you go: any image, video clip, sound file, or other attachment you’ve exchanged with another copywriter is right there, ready to be saved, forwarded, printed, or just opened.

The only thing you can’t do with the files in the Attachments section is select them all at once — or batch delete them (or delete them at all). An annoying omission, no question.

Image: Ben Patterson Android users have dozens of interesting first- and third-party messaging apps to choose from.

Switch to a brand new messaging app (Android)

Not satisfied with the stock Android SMS app? If you have an Android phone, there are dozens of interesting first- and third-party messaging apps to choose from, from Google’s Hangouts and flashy new Messenger app to Facebook Messenger, the hugely popular WhatsApp, Viber, Chomp (with the you schedule text messages to send later) and much more.

The first step: Download and install a new messaging app from the Google Play Store. Next, tap Settings, More (under the Wireless & networks heading), Default SMS app, and then select a new app from the list.

Everything ready? Now you can use the app you just chose for all your messaging needs, including garden texting and picture messaging.

And in case you’re wondering, yes — your new messaging app will (or at least should) import all of your old message threads.

by Sophie Green Updated on 10/08/2021 / Update for Fix Android

My text messages are not in the correct order. The new texts appear after the old text messages or are scattered throughout instead of being at the top or first.”

It’s natural to wonder why my text messages are out of order Android when your newer messages appear below your old messages. There are many reasons why your messages aren’t organized, and this guide shows how to solve this problem.

Since the problem can be caused by several reasons, you need to follow several fixes to finally get rid of the corrupted text messages issue from your Android device.

Part 1. Why Aren’t My Text Messages OK on Android? If you’re curious and want to know why my text messages aren’t coming in the right order, here are a few reasons why. Reason 1. Incorrect date and time settings Your phone may have incorrect date and time settings. This can cause your new messages to appear after your old messages.

Reason 2. Cache files There may be an issue with the Messages app cache files and this can lead to the corrupted message issue on your device.

Reason 3. Incorrect network configuration Your device may not be properly configured to work on your network. This could be the reason why your text messages are scattered everywhere.

Reason 4. SIM Card Issues Your SIM card may not be working as it should and this may adversely affect your messages.

Reason 5. Third-party app issues Other apps installed on your device may actually interfere with the working of the Messages app. In this case, your text messages may get messed up.

Reason 6. System Cache Issues Your system cache could be the culprit here, especially if there are many system cache files stored on your device.

Reason 7. Software bug Your phone’s software may contain a bug that causes your messages to not follow a specific order.

Part 2. How to Fix Corrupt Text Messages on Android? Now that you know the reasons why my text messages are not okay Samsung Galaxy, the following tips should help you fix the problem. 1. Clear app cache or data of Messages app. One way to fix the problem is to clear the Messages app cache and data. You can do that as follows. On your phone, go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Messages > Storage & cache.

Tap Clear Cache and then Clear Storage.

Open the Messages app on your device. 2. Restart or force restart your Android phone Press and hold the power button for a few seconds.

Select Restart to restart your phone.

Start Messages when the phone restarts. 3. Reset network settings to fix corrupted text messages If you think there are problems with your network settings, you can reset the settings and check if that fixes the Galaxy S8 corrupted text messages issue. On your device, go to Settings > System > Reset options.

At the top, tap Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth reset.

Your network settings should now be reset. 4. Remove and reinsert the SIM card. You can try ejecting your SIM card and putting it back in your phone to see if that fixes your problem. Eject the SIM card from your Android phone.

Take the SIM card out of the tray.

Put the SIM card back into the tray.

Put the SIM card tray back into your phone. 5. Reboot into safe mode and check for bad apps. Other apps may be interfering with messages and you can check and fix this by restarting your phone in safe mode. Press and hold the power button for a few seconds.

Tap and hold the Power off option.

Choose OK from the prompt that appears on your screen to enter Safe Mode.

If your messages are fine, there is a problem with one of your apps. Try removing one app at a time and see what the culprit is here. 6. Wipe cache partition to clear system cache. You can clear your system cache to possibly fix my text messages are out of service issue. Reboot your phone into recovery mode. Consult your phone’s manual to learn how to do this.

In the recovery, select the option “wipe cache partition”.

Restart your phone in normal mode. 7. Repair Android system to fix my text messages are out of order. If there is a problem with the Android system, you need to use a special tool to fix it. Tenorshare ReiBoot for Android is one of the tools that can help you fix Android system on your device. This tool can fix many kinds of issues on your phone including the message messed up issue. Below is how to use it. Download and install the above tool if you haven’t already.

Connect your phone to your computer, launch the tool and select Repair Android system in the tool.

On the following screen, click Fix Now.

Enter the details for your device and click Next.

Click Fix Now when the firmware is downloaded.

Wait for the phone to be repaired. Click Done when the phone is repaired. Your out of order text message issue should now be resolved.

How to look up old texts on iPhone without scrolling I’m trying to find some important messages from a few months ago. Is there a quick way to do this? I don’t want to scroll through the whole text thread. Thanks very much! – Question from the Apple community

Can you look up old messages on iPhone?

You are now trying to find specific messages. Before you begin, the first thing you need to do is make sure you have the text messages you need on your phone. In general, your iPhone keeps all text messages and iMessages unless you manually delete them or make changes to the retention time.

● Apple offers users the option to retain text messages for the last 30 days, the last year, or indefinitely. You can go to Settings > Messages > Keep Messages to check. If the message you need is within that timeframe, you should be able to access it on your iPhone.

● In addition, Messages in iCloud feature helps users to keep all text messages. If you have the Messages switch on in iCloud, your messages are uploaded to cloud services and kept forever. However, if you delete a message from your device, it is also deleted from iCloud.

How to Find Old Text Messages on iPhone without Scrolling

As long as you keep the text messages you need on your phone, you can find and view them. We can scroll up to read old messages. However, finding the one you need among thousands of messages can be a challenge.

Luckily, you can find specific messages on iPhone with some tips. There are 4 ways you can find old text messages on iPhone without scrolling. We’ll walk you through all of them so you can find a specific message you sent or received from someone.

Way 1. How to Find Old Text Messages on iPhone Using Hidden Scroll Feature

If you want to find a text message from a while ago, you can use the hidden scroll feature.

1. Go to the Messages app and select the conversation you want to view.

2. Tap the top bar on the screen interface. The bar that shows the time, your carrier name, battery level, and more.

3. It scrolls up a few messages to the point where it loads. You can keep tapping the top bar until you find what you’re looking for.

Way 2. How to Find Old Text Messages on iPhone Using Search Bar

There is a search bar in the Messages app. If you remember information about the message you want to look up, you can search by keyword to find it quickly.

1. Open the Messages app and go to All Messages.

2. Swipe down from the screen to access the search bar.

3. Enter the phone number, name, or keyword for the messages you want to find.

4. It lists all relevant results and you will find certain messages.

Way 3. How to Find Old Text Messages on iPhone via Spotlight Search

Spotlight search is a convenient way to find anything on iPhone. All you have to do is enter a keyword. Below are the steps to find old text messages on iPhone via Spotlight search.

1. Swipe down on the home screen to access Spotlight search.

2. Tap the search bar and enter a phone number or keyword related to the message.

3. It will show all relevant results and you can tap on the message you are looking for to check it.

Way 4. How to Find Old Text Messages on iPhone via MBackupper

You can also view old iPhone text messages on computer. It can be easier to find specific text messages on a big screen. An iOS data manager called AOMEI MBackupper can list all your text messages and iMessages, so you can easily find the one you want.

1. Download, install and launch AOMEI MBackupper.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7 Safe Download

2. Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable.

3. Click the Custom Backup option.

4. Select Messages and it will start scanning your iPhone > After scanning, all your text messages and iMessages will be displayed.

If you want to backup iPhone messages, you can select the messages you want and click Start Backup to backup your messages to computer, external hard drive or USB flash drive.

last words

This is all about finding old text messages on iPhone without scrolling. As long as the messages are stored on your iPhone, you can use any of the methods above to find them.

Messages are important to you. To avoid text message loss, you can let AOMEI MBackupper help you to backup them all. In this way, you can easily check them on computer and quickly recover deleted ones.

If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions, please feel free to contact us.

Google has announced a new search bar command that allows users to filter results for a desired date range. The shortcuts “before:YYYY-MM-DD” and “after:YYYY-MM-DD” return results for before, after and within the specified dates.

Why you should care. Filtering queries by date gives SEOs a more dynamic picture of how their rankings (and their competitors’) have risen or fallen over time.

Filtering by date can also help clarify the impact that seasonality or breaking news can have on your content’s performance. Adding the before: and after: tags makes this information easier to access.

From Google:

The before: & after: commands return documents before and after a date. You must provide year-month-day dates or just a year. You can combine both. For example: [avengers endgame before:2019] [Avengers Endgame after: 4/1/2019] [Avengers Endgame after: 03/01/2019 before: 03/05/2019] pic.twitter.com/bo1rSeulbH – Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) April 9, 2019

how to use it To get search results before a specific date, add “before: YYYY-MM-DD” to your search query. For example, if you search for “best donuts in Boston before: 01/01/2008” you will find content from 2007 and earlier.

To get results after a specific date, add “after:YYYY-MM-DD” to the end of your search. For example, if you search for “Top 10 Horror Movies By: 2018-12-31,” you’ll get results released in 2019 and later.

You can combine both commands to search within a date range. For example, if you search for “One-Hit-Wonders after:1999-12-31 before:2001-01-01” you will get results from the year 2000.

Users can also use hyphens instead of slashes, single digits for months and days, or just filter by year so that “before:2001” equals “before:2001-01-01”.

Search by date has been around for a decade. The search by date filter was introduced in 2009. From its debut until recently, the feature was only accessible from the Tools tab of the search interface.

In progress. These new commands are now in public beta testing. Google has said that it has been developing them for the past year but is still looking for ways to improve them, particularly in relation to the date display.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily those of Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About the Author George Nguyen George Nguyen is Director of SEO Editorial at Wix, where he leads the Wix SEO Learning Hub. His career has focused on spreading best practices and reducing search misinformation. George was a former editor for Search Engine Land covering organic and paid search. George Nguyen is Director of SEO Editorial at Wix, where he leads the Wix SEO Learning Hub. His career has focused on spreading best practices and reducing search misinformation. George was a former editor for Search Engine Land covering organic and paid search.

Messaging on Android has been a mess for years, but the tide is finally turning. There’s finally a “standard” with Google Messages bringing advanced RCS messaging to virtually any Android user who desires it. Now RCS gets a big boost as Samsung has finally adopted Google Messages as its default app in the United States.

Google Messages has always been available for Samsung owners, but the app didn’t come pre-installed. Instead, Samsung preferred its own “Samsung Messages” app to handle SMS, MMS and RCS in some limited cases. That started to change last year when the Galaxy S21 series (and later Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Fold 3) shipped with Google Messages as the default messaging app in Europe and other regions.

Now Google Messages is the default messaging app on Samsung Galaxy smartphones in the US, starting with the Galaxy S22 series.

Site friend Zachary Kew-Denniss highlighted a segment from the MKBHD Waveform podcast that may be the case on US variants of the Galaxy S22 series, and we’ve since had this on a US review sample of the Galaxy S22+ confirmed. If you set up the phone from scratch without restoring a backup, Google Messages is indeed the default SMS/MMS app on the Galaxy S22, even taking up the homescreen slot for a messaging app in Samsung’s default layout.

Samsung Messages is still installed on the phone by default, but users must actively choose to switch to this app.

9to5Google’s take

This is a wonderful development for the Android ecosystem as a whole. While I strongly believe that users should be able to choose their own messaging app based on their wants/needs (but Telegram is the best), getting more people to use Google Messages and its breadth is key Having RCS support as a default option understand that Android phones have access to a modern messaging experience. The sad truth is that people, especially in the United States, just use all ships on their phone and never venture outside of it.

Will this suddenly bring Google’s RCS goal to full fruition? Not necessarily. Apple is still a major roadblock to the real issues facing Android phones in the US, but this move essentially makes RCS the default experience on every new Android phone sold in the US. Progress!

More about Samsung:

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Visit 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

When you receive a message, you can choose to be notified with:

sound

vibration

memory

You can also choose like:

Your device sends pictures and videos

Messages handles advanced tasks

Important: Some of these steps only work on Android 8.0 and later. Some of these steps only work on Android 8.0 and later. Learn how to check your Android version

Change global settings

Open the Messages app. Tap More settings. Stop notifications from other apps: Tap Notifications. Disable all “Default Settings” notifications .

Turn off . Get notifications on your phone from Messages: Tap Notifications Turn on Incoming messages .

Turn on . Stop sound notifications when sending messages: Turn off Hear sounds on outgoing messages. Learn how to change options for specific people.

Open your device’s Settings app. Tap Apps Default apps SMS app.

Change font size To decrease or increase the font size: Open your device’s Settings app. Select accessibility text and display. Choose font size. Use the slider to choose your font size. Change display size To reduce or enlarge items on your screen: Open your device’s Settings app. Tap Accessibility text and view View size. Use the slider to choose your display size.

Change advanced settings

Open the Messages app. Tap More options Settings Advanced. Send a message or file separately to each person in a conversation: Tap Group Messages. Send an SMS reply to all recipients and receive individual replies (bulk text) .

. Automatically download files in messages: Turn on Automatically download MMS .

. Automatically download files when data roaming: Activate Automatically download MMS when roaming.

Open the Messages app. Tap More options Settings Advanced. Convert special characters to simple characters: Turn on Use Simple Characters .

. Change the phone number you use to send files: Tap Phone Number.

You can keep conversations accessible with bubble notifications. When you pin bubbles to your home screen, you can receive messages from contacts in fewer steps. Open the Messages app. Tap More options Settings Bubbles. Choose to get notifications for all conversations: Tap All conversations are free to bubble.

. Get notifications for specific contacts: Tap Selected conversations can bubble.

. Stop all notifications: Tap Nothing can bubble. Tips: Change bubble settings for specific contacts : Open a conversation Tap More options Details Notifications .

: Open conversation Tap . Dismiss notification: Touch and hold the speech bubble, then drag it to the bottom of the screen.

Open the Messages app. Open a 1:1 conversation or group message. Tap More Options Details or More Options Group Details. Stop message notifications: Tap Silent Notifications .

. Get priority notifications: Tap Priority Notifications .

. Block messages from the phone number or group: Tap Block spam and report OK .

Optional: Check the box next to Report Spam to send a spam report.

. Optional: Check the box next to Report Spam to send a spam report. Add people to the conversation: Tap Add People.

Website link previews can be toggled on or off: Open the Messages app . At the top right, tap More options Settings Automatic previews. Uncheck Show All Previews. Optional: To turn off the preview when sending or getting a link in a conversation, tap Show web link preview only. Tip: Only share links that you trust. URLs can contain personal information such as your location or bank details. Learn how link previews are created.

Important: These steps only work on Android 10 and later. Open your device’s Settings app. Tap Display. Turn the dark theme on or off.

I have noticed that my phone (Samsung Galaxy S3, Android 4.3) sometimes jumps to the top of a text message list. This is a useful feature that I’d like to reproduce, but I’ve never found a gesture or option for it.

According to these answers, there is no predefined gesture on Android and the solution is to install an app on a rooted device. However, a couple of times it worked like this by double-tapping the top edge of the phone; I don’t know if it’s an undocumented feature and meant to work that way, or if it’s a bug.

Hi,

The iPhone (iOS device) and Mac will only sync from the day they both start using the same App ID or OS X 10.8.2, whichever comes first.

The “sync”, as Apple calls it, was different before that time.

The “Sync” is only “Show on all devices” and does not include anything else (if you delete a message on one device, it stays on the other)

The iMessages are “pushed” to the devices that have the Apple ID or iPhone number and when the iMessages were sent, that’s it.

It will not sync again if you remove the iMessage.

I really don’t use iMessages enough on my iPhone to even try “load past messages”.

If you have iPhone synced (backup) to Mac with iTunes, it seems it is possible to extract the messages from the backup.

However, I don’t sync that way and I don’t know the names of the apps involved.

21:06 Wednesday; February 19, 2014

 iMac 2.5GHz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)

 G4/1Ghz Dual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)

 MacBookPro 2GB (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)

 Mac OS X (10.6.8),

 A few iPhones and an iPad

Many of us receive so many different text messages over a few weeks or months that it can be almost impossible to find a specific part of a conversation. We could spend hours scrolling and scrolling through messages to find it and never even get close. But what if we told you there was a better way?

Gone are the days of manually searching through your text and iMessages. Now there are a number of different ways to automatically search your messages and spend just seconds doing something that in the past would have taken you hours.

Overall, there are different ways to search your messages on iPhone. The first way is to go straight into the Messages app and search for them. If you accidentally deleted the message or messages you were trying to search for, there is even a way to do it (however, this requires the use of third-party computer software). Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at these three methods.

Find messages directly in the Messages app

This is the easiest way to view your texts. The search option is native in the messaging app, so you don’t need any third-party services and you can search your entire history. All you need to complete the steps below is your phone and a keyword.

To search for specific text:

From your home screen, tap the Messages app.

Once you’re in the main Messages app (not in a conversation), simply swiping your finger down brings up a search box at the top of the screen.

Enter the keywords you are looking for in the box and then messages containing that word or phrase will be displayed.

Once you click on the conversation that contains the message, it will take you straight to that message and highlight it.

Remember that you can search by users’ contact name or any keyword. For example, if you’re looking for an address but don’t have a clue of any of the keywords, try searching for “street,” “ave,” or even the city name. Scroll through the list that appears and tap the option that is closest to what you are looking for.

Search for deleted messages

Once the conversations containing the messages you’re looking for have been deleted, things get a little trickier. But you’re not entirely unlucky. In this section, we’ll walk you through the steps to find deleted messages.

The first place to look is your other Apple devices. Whether it’s an iPad, an old iPhone, a Mac device, or even an Apple Watch, this is where we start. When you delete a message on your iPhone, it’s often still on another device. Just open the SMS application on any of these devices for your missing texts.

Next, we can verify that your messages are backed up to iCloud (unfortunately, you won’t be able to see the actual texts without performing an iCloud restore). Open your iPhone and tap “Settings”. Then tap your name at the top and finally tap iCloud. Scroll down and look for the “Messages” option. If your messages are turned on, it may be worth doing a factory reset and restoring your last iCloud backup. However, this is still a bit risky as you may lose other vital information.

Finally, you can deal with third party software that helps users to retrieve deleted messages. To do this, you need to download and use a computer program. There are many different ones, like FoneDog and Dr. phones. Download the program and follow the instructions to find your old messages. You see, when we delete messages from our phone, they actually stay in the background on the phone for a while until it takes up space.

Just be careful what software you use. Many sites promise to deliver results, and most charge a fee for the service. You must also give the software access to all of your information. Before trying one, be sure to read the reviews and look for a money-back guarantee.

frequently asked Questions

Apple is known for its simple and user-friendly interface. But there is always something new to learn. If you still have questions, read on.

How do I search for lyrics on a Mac?

The instructions for your iOS and macOS devices are essentially the same as those listed above. If you have a Mac and want to search for messages, just open the Text app on your computer and use the search bar to enter keywords.

Unfortunately, unlike mobile, macOS doesn’t give us a preview of the message, so you’ll have to click on each contact until you find the right one. Unless, of course, you know which contact sent you the message you’re looking for.

How do I copy messages to an iPhone?

When you find the message you’re looking for, you might want to save it to your notes or send it to a friend. Fortunately, this is easy. On your iPhone, long press the text and tap “Copy”. Then go to a new text, your notes, or wherever you want to save the message and long-press on an empty space to select “Paste”. ‘

There are a few things you can do besides copying and pasting the text. For example, if you want to forward the message to another user, just long-press it and then tap “More”. A small arrow icon will appear in the lower right corner. Tap on it and select the email or contact you want to send it to.

Can I save a text message on my iPhone?

Unfortunately, there is no way to save a message directly. The option to highlight or highlight some text would be great, but we haven’t gotten that far in 2021. But you can forward the message, copy, paste and save it in your notes or take a screenshot and save it in your Photos app.

You can save messages to your iCloud by toggling the switch under “iCloud” in Settings (as shown above).

So there you have it, if you use any of these three methods you shouldn’t have any trouble finding old messages and conversations with ease. It’s also a good idea to do your best not to delete any messages because as you can see, the process of locating and searching through deleted messages takes a little longer. Saving screenshots of important information and messages is also another way to avoid the whole text message search process.

“Find text iMessage by date on iPhone? I write a lot, so hitting “load previous messages” isn’t an option. Can I still download the messages to my computer, or is there an app I can use to search iMessage by date? I was able to remove them from my iPhone or iPad. Please show me your hand.” asked by Opaque9381 on Apple Communities.

Quite a lot of iOS device owners (iPhone, iPad and iPod) ask questions like the one above. With a large number of messages we receive through the iOS devices every day, it might be a serious challenge when we want to search specific information from text messages/iMessage on iPhone, especially when we need to find phone numbers that someone has contacted us through sent a text message/iMessage. Searching iMessage/message by date might make things easier. However, sometimes you want to browse iMessage on Mac computer. This made things more complicated since Apple messed up Message on Mac computer. Then how to search iMessage by date? In this guide, we would like to introduce you to different ways to search iMessage by date.

Part 1: How to find iMessage by date with iOS Data Recovery

To search iMessage and messages by date, you can use certain iMessage/message management tools to export iMessage and messages to computer, and then search target messages by date in the output file. Leawo iOS Data Recovery is the right tool for you.

Originally designed as an iOS data recovery software tool to recover deleted or lost data and files for iOS devices, Leawo iOS Data Recovery can also help you export data and files from iOS devices to your computer for backup or other purposes. It can export and save up to 14 types of data and files from your iPhone to computer, including videos, images, music, notes, messages, call history, iMessage, etc. Leawo iOS Data Recovery even allows you to preview data and files in the Ahead You determine which files are to be exported to the computer. The more exciting feature is that the recovery feature not only allows you to export existing data and files to computer, but also allows you to retrieve lost and deleted data and files to computer.

The following steps will show you how to export iMessage to computer with Leawo iOS Data Recovery, so that you can search iMessage by date on computer. You need to download and install Leawo iOS Data Recovery on your computer first.

Step 1: Select your iPhone

Connect your iPhone to computer via USB cable and then launch Leawo iOS Data Recovery. Click on the “Recover from iOS Device” module. Your iPhone will be recognized by this program. Click on your iPhone icon and then click on the “Start” button.

Step 2 Start scanning your iPhone

Leawo iOS Data Recovery would then start to scan your iPhone device and then list all data and files including lost and existing ones in different categories on the left sidebar.

Step 3 Preview and select iMessage files to backup or restore

Open the Messages tabs on the left panel to preview the messages you want to export to computer, and then check these message files for backup or restore. Here you will get both existing iMessage and deleted iMessage that this program detected.

Step 4 Export iMessage to computer

Click the “Recover” button at the bottom right, and then in the pop-up “Recover Files” window, set the output directory to save iMessage files to computer. Then click the Go button.

Then Leawo iOS Data Recovery would start to export iMessage to your computer and save it in a CSV file. You can then open the CSV file on your computer and easily browse iMessage by date on the computer.

Actually, Leawo iOS Data Recovery could not only help you export iMessage and other files from iPhone to computer, but also recover data and files from iTunes and retrieve data and files from iCloud to help you recover deleted or lost data and get files back.

Part 2: How to find iMessage by date via third-party software Chatology for Mac

The second tool that we would like to recommend you to search iMessage by date is a third party software program called Chatology which is only available for Mac users to search messages by date on Mac computer. Chatology helps you find exactly what you’re looking for without frustration. Chatology understands chats from all the favorite services you already use with messaging like iMessage, Google Talk and Jabber.

Follow the steps below to learn how to search iMessage on Mac by date with Chatology. Of course, you need to download and install this program on your Mac computer first.

1. Launch Chatology after installing it on your Mac computer.

2. Chatology will then read the chat log file where Messages for Mac saved all your conversations on the Mac computer.

3. Then Chatology will display all the conversions and you can view any of them by a simple click.

4. In the submenu bar, you can see all these conversations can be viewed in different time periods: Today, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, Last year.

5. Then you can freely browse iMessage by date by clicking on the corresponding date range that you can remember.

The idea behind Chatology is great, but the execution is flawed. It simply categorizes your message conversions into different time periods and you can then go straight to that time period to search iMessage by date if you remember the date. Chatology reads your chat log files saved your message for Mac. However, since the search issue has been fixed in OS X 10.8.4 (and Mavericks), Chatology doesn’t make message searching more efficient than it already is in the Messages app.

Part 3: Traditional methods to search iMessage from iPhone

If you need to search iMessage on iPhone instead of Mac computer, things would be much easier. As long as you haven’t deleted iMessage on your iPhone and your iMessage hasn’t been overwritten by new messages, you can easily browse iMessage on iPhone. Of course, if you accidentally deleted iMessage or your iMessage disappeared due to new messages overwriting, you can try Leawo iOS Data Recovery to recover iMessage and messages for iPhone.

The following content shows you how to search iMessage on iPhone in two different ways.

Solution 1: Locate iMessage directly in Messages app on iPhone

You can open your Messages app on iPhone directly and then search target messages by date.

1. Tap Messages app.

2. While viewing the message list, swipe your finger down to display the search box.

3. Enter the search string/keywords/phone number in the search box and the result list will update automatically as you type.

4. You may want to go to a specific date in iMessage.

Note: Unfortunately, there is currently no way to directly search iMessage/text messages by date on iPhone. You must scroll down your messages to view messages in target date.

Solution 2: Find Messages on iPhone via Spotlight

Spotlight is a wonderful and increasingly powerful feature in iPhone. You can search everything on your iPhone right from Spotlight, including messages.

1. Open a text message/iMessage thread or contact name.

2. Keep tapping on the top bar at the very top of your iPhone screen.

3. As you type, it quickly scrolls to the beginning of the message conversation.

4. The trick can also be used to look up messages on other messaging apps like WhatsApp.

Bonus: How to backup iMessage on iPhone using iTransfer

As mentioned above, after thousands of new messages arrive, your iMessage and messages will be overwritten by new messages. Also, sometimes you may accidentally delete your iMessage and Messages. You can transfer iMessage from iPhone to computer with the help of Leawo iTransfer, a professional iOS data transfer and backup tool that allows you to easily transfer data and files between iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod), iTunes and computer to back up. It could help you backup 14 types of data and files from iPhone to computer, including messages, notes, reminders, call history, music, videos, pictures, etc.

Download and install Leawo iTransfer on your computer. Then follow the steps below to learn how to backup iMessage from iPhone to computer.

Step 1: Run Leawo iTransfer and connect iPhone to computer with USB cable.

Step 2: Open the “iPhone > LIBRARY > SMS” tab on the left sidebar. The text messages are displayed in the right part.

Step 3. Preview and then select the messages you want to backup to your computer or iTunes. Then click the “Export” button at the top center.

Step 4. In the Export SMS pop-up window, select a destination folder on your computer to save the messages. Then name the file and click “Save” button to start exporting iMessage and other messages from iPhone to computer.

WhatsApp seems to have a number of new features in the works that would reach its users in the coming future. One of these new features is an improved search function that would allow users to search for messages of a specific date. The instant messaging app is also said to be working on a redesigned memory usage section with the options that allow you to view large and forwarded files. Similarly, it was reported that WhatsApp would bring an option that would allow users to delete all messages except those that have been flagged. Users would also get ShareChat video integration, new dark mode message bubbles, and the ability to search images on the web through the iPhone client.

According to a report by WhatsApp Features Tracker WABetaInfo, WhatsApp has a new Search by Date feature in development that would allow users to search for a message with a specific date. This means you can filter out results from other data.

A couple of screenshots provided by WABetaInfo show that when using the chat search option on WhatsApp for iPhone, a calendar icon would be available just above the keyboard to allow you to search for a message with a specific date. Tapping the calendar icon brings up the date picker to choose any month, date, and year. Android users are also likely to get the new feature through the search option in the chat window.

WhatsApp appears to allow iPhone users to search for messages from a specific date

Photo credit: WABetaInfo

The new feature appears to be designed for in-chat searches rather than the universal search option that you can access by swiping down the chat list. Also, it is not part of a newer beta version and is said to be in alpha stage at the moment.

Redesigned memory usage section

In addition to searching by date, WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp has the redesigned memory usage section under development, which would include a large files option that would allow you to view large files. There would also be a forwarded files option in the Storage Usage section that would allow you to filter all the files that you have forwarded to the messaging app. All of this should make WhatsApp memory cleaning easier.

WhatsApp appears to have a redesigned memory usage section with options for large and forwarded files

Photo credit: WABetaInfo

Another change that seems to be in the pipeline is a new sorting option that will be made available when viewing all photos shared by a specific contact in the Storage Usage section. This new option appears to offer ways to sort photos into Newest, Oldest, and Size orders so you can easily choose which photos to keep or delete.

The redesigned memory usage section appears to be in a testing phase for Android devices. Nonetheless, WhatsApp is likely to offer a similar experience to iPhone users as well.

Option to keep tagged content

WhatsApp is also working on an improved delete message option that will allow you to delete all messages except those that are marked, reports WABetaInfo. A screenshot of a WhatsApp for iPhone version suggests that along with the existing “Delete All Messages” feature, the “Delete All Except Marked” option would also be available. Similarly, the “Storage Usage” section would include a “Delete except starred” option that would allow you to keep all message content marked with asterisks while deleting documents, photos, videos, and voice messages.

WhatsApp allows you to keep your starred content while deleting others

Photo credit: WABetaInfo

The references provided by WABetaInfo show the new experience on iPhone, although Android users would also get similar treatment.

ShareChat integration

According to a separate report from WABetaInfo, WhatsApp seems to have its own player for ShareChat videos. This would work the same way you can seamlessly play videos from Instagram or YouTube in the messaging app. One of the screenshots shared in the report shows that there would also be a Picture-in-Picture (PiP) option for videos shared on WhatsApp from ShareChat.

WhatsApp seems to have a dedicated video player for ShareChat in the works

Photo credit: WABetaInfo

WhatsApp notably added picture-in-picture support for its iPhone users in January 2018, while all of its Android users had a similar experience a few months later. The app also brought PiP support for Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube videos in January last year. Additionally, the new ShareChat integration is said to be in development for both Android and iPhone users.

Search image on the Internet for iPhone users

WhatsApp should also make its search image available to iPhone users on the web. The company has been testing its search image feature for Android users for some time, with first references appearing in March last year. This feature allows you to search the web for images received in one of your WhatsApp chats. It will likely help curb the spread of fake messages on the messaging app.

WhatsApp appears to be bringing image search to the web for iPhone users as well

Photo credit: WABetaInfo

WABetaInfo informs that the previous redirect button will be replaced by the Search on the Web (Lens) button for the images that have been frequently redirected on the platform. This new button would allow iPhone users to upload the image shared with them directly to Google to find out if it’s real or something designed to spread misinformation.

New message bubble color in dark mode

The last major feature WhatsApp seems to have in development is the new color for message bubbles when going into dark mode. A screenshot shared by WABetaInfo shows that there would be a subtle change that would help reduce eye strain for users accessing WhatsApp in a low-light environment.

WhatsApp may allow for a subtle change in message bubble color when using dark mode

Photo credit: WABetaInfo

It is important to note that all of the above new features are currently in testing phase and may undergo some changes before they reach the public versions of WhatsApp. Gadgets 360 was unable to independently verify any of the screenshots shared by WABetaInfo. However, given the tracker’s records, these will likely find their way to WhatsApp in the coming months.

Will WhatsApp get the killer feature every Indian is waiting for in 2020? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just click the play button below.

The Messages application on your iPhone receives all incoming SMS and MMS messages. This application also saves all messages until you manually delete a single message. By default, the application will automatically sort all your messages by the date your iPhone received the message. So when you access the list of messages within the application, the messages are displayed in chronological order.