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Question

Need help!

Jun 13, 2012 3:40AM PDT

My iphone was stolen. I desperately need the messages that are on my phone for a court case. Is there anyway to retrieve them? They are so important! Any help and or advice is most appreciated!

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Sure. The no-tech way?
Jun 13, 2012 3:59AM PDT

Place it on the table with some time piece and take photos of the texts.

Remember any good lawyer will have such dismissed. And be sure to have the phone available as evidence. That is, you don't use it from now on as it is the evidence as any download will be tossed out by any good lawyer.
Bob

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His iPhone was stolen.
Jun 13, 2012 4:07AM PDT

That makes the operation you proposed impossible, I think. All he can try: see if his phone company (like AT&T, Verizon) has stored a copy somewhere.

Kees

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I missed one word.
Jun 13, 2012 12:48PM PDT

Now it's up to the carrier for those messages.

It's a legal issue so you get to do the dance. (get subpoena)

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Answer
Email or SMS?
Jun 13, 2012 4:14AM PDT

If you lost email they will be at your servers online email access. For SMS contact your service provider immediately and alert them to your situation.

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Sure, contact provider......
Jun 13, 2012 8:40AM PDT

....but only a court subpoena can get any text message transcripts/details.

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Answer
Try this
Jun 24, 2012 7:34PM PDT

Since your cell is lost, it is not easy to retrieve your lost data. If the information would be in a mail then it would have been much easier your you to get your court case related details. But since it was in a text message, the only option you have is to contact your service provider.
Like call logs they can provide you complete information of your message logs. But there is again a complexity that if the message was not sent or received over the network i.e only the data was stored in your drafts then i don't thing that there is any source to salvage your information.

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Third parties often manage the big provider's...
Jun 25, 2012 2:50AM PDT

...SMS servers, etc. But back to what's already been posted, this will require a subpoena to even be considered.

Sometimes they can pull down old messages from a tape backup, etc. if they are no longer on any of the servers/devices/local backups. My source? A friend who's a federal prosecutor.