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> iMessage doesn't keep your whole message history on-device. You can scroll back and it will fetch a bit more each time, but that's it. This is confidently in
by cincorrect 3y ago
> iMessage doesn't keep your whole message history on-device. You can scroll back and it will fetch a bit more each time, but that's it.
This is confidently incorrect.
The entire database is stored on device in a SQLite database. It absolutely has a terrible UI for fetching messages, but they’re all there.
- accrual 3y agoI previously kept copies of this SQLite database on hand when backing up my phone (it stores to a specific folder every time), but since encrypted backups were introduced a few iOS versions ago, I found it too much of a hassle. If OP wants to find this file, a good search term is "3d0d7e5fb2ce288813306e4d4636395e047a3d28" which apparently is a sum of the string "HomeDomain-Library/SMS/sms.db". One thing I miss from Android was the simplicity of getting data in and out of the phone. I could just dump everything to CSV and be done with it.
- sherry-sherry 3y agoThey might mean attachments too, which I count as whole message history. Messages seems to be somewhat random about keeping/removing attachments from your devices regardless of how much storage you have free or whether you have 'Optimise Storage' off. *note this is specifically when using Messages with iCloud