by Lucy Maguire

Created on: August 25, 2010   Last Updated: September 11, 2010

Lost a text message containing an important telephone number? Been sent the details of a meeting via text and accidentally deleted it? We've all been in that situation at some time or another, and most of us believe that data can never be recovered, once deleted from our phones, however, this is just a myth.

Text messages (SMS) are usually stored on your SIM card, and similarly to an external hard-drive or memory card, stores them, alongside other information such as your "contacts", in separate partitioned areas. When you delete a piece of information, whether it be a message or contact file, it is removed from your device, however remains on your SIM card until it is over-written by new data.

This makes it possible for the retrieval of a lost contact, message, picture, mp3 or video file, providing it has not been over-written by new data. The storage capacity of a SIM card is extremely small, and more often than not, a new received SMS will take up the capacity your deleted one occupied, therefore retrieval isn't very easy.

Several products have come onto the market in recent years, primarily designed to transfer a back-up of your contacts, from your SIM card to your computer. These devices are small, USB plug-in readers with a SIM card slot, and built in software. They allow you to transfer a back-up of all messages and contact files, with some models additionally supporting Jpg. and Mp3. files.

Amazon currently stock a model known as the Sim Card Management Reader Pro Spy which houses specialist software for access to deleted text messages. The majority of SIM readers do not have this capability, and there are only one or two which promise full recovery of deleted files. Caution should be taken in the purchase of such products as many do not come with guarantees, and do not detail software compatibility with operating systems.

Deleted messages can also be accessed if you have signed up the likes of O2 Bluebook. This is an online storage facility which allows users to store everything on their phone in a safe, secure area, Users are sent a code to their phone which they must then re-enter and confirm on the o2 site. The site then retrieves data from the user's phone. Every time the user receives a new text message, a back-up of the file is saved within the Bluebook facility, and is then accessible at any time. The facility can be suspended and reactivated at will, however data will only be stored on the site from the time the user signed up and activated

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