If I delete WhatsApp, will the messages disappear - briefly?
If you delete WhatsApp from your device, your messages will not automatically disappear. They are stored on WhatsApp's servers and can be accessed again if you reinstall the app.
If I delete WhatsApp, will the messages disappear - in detail?
If you decide to delete WhatsApp from your device, whether or not your messages will disappear depends on several factors.
Firstly, it's important to understand that deleting the WhatsApp application does not automatically erase the data stored on your device. When you uninstall WhatsApp, the message history remains in the app's local storage on your phone. This means that if you reinstall WhatsApp at a later date and verify your phone number, your previous conversations will typically be restored from this local backup.
However, there are situations where messages might not be recoverable:
- Cloud Backups: If you have enabled cloud backups in Google Drive or iCloud, your message history may be stored there as well. Deleting the app won't affect these backups, but if you choose to delete them from the cloud, your messages will be permanently lost.
- Local Storage Management: If your device runs out of storage space and automatically deletes old data or local backups, your WhatsApp message history might not be recoverable even after reinstalling the app.
- Manual Deletion: If you manually delete the WhatsApp folder from your phone's internal storage before uninstalling the app, the messages will not be restored upon reinstallation. This folder typically resides in
/sdcard/WhatsApp/Databasesand contains files namedmsgstore.db.crypt12. - Factory Reset: Performing a factory reset on your device will erase all local data, including WhatsApp message history stored locally. In this case, you would need to rely on cloud backups if available.
In summary, simply deleting the WhatsApp app from your phone does not delete your messages. However, depending on how you manage your storage and backups, there are scenarios where your messages might become irretrievable. It's always a good idea to regularly backup your data to ensure that important conversations are preserved.