Do Voice Messages Disappear Before Being Read (iPhone)

Wondering when and how voice messages disappear on iPhones? Unable to find a voice message on your iPhone? It is a common query among iPhone users and we are here to bring the answers for you. Read till the end to resolve all your unanswered questions regarding voice messages on iPhone.

Sending voice messages is more convenient than texting every workday. However, this convenient task can sometimes become a nuisance on iPhone. If you’re very familiar with voice messages on instant messaging services and applications, you’ll learn that voice messages do vanish, and as a new user, you might be asking why my voice message vanished.

iPhones are marvelous devices. Although as amazing as the device is some of its features are sure to raise confusion and annoyance among users. The disappearing voice messages can become a problem for some users. Others may find it annoying to repeatedly lose their voice messages on iPhones. 

To resolve this problem and answer why and when voice messages disappear on iPhones, we’ve researched and compiled all the needed information for you to know. Do let us get into it.

Do voice messages disappear before being read (iPhone)

No, the voice messages do not disappear before being read on iPhone. A voice note that has been sent will stay in the recipient’s inbox until it is erased by either the sender or the recipient. Voice notes may appear as unopened in the recipient’s inbox, but they are not erased until they are.

You may send a wide variety of content, including simple-to-record audio messages, through the Messages app on your iPhone. The text bar’s sound wave icon only requires a single press and hold. Check out this article if you can not find the audio icon.

However, these audio transmissions are not always permanent. By default, voice messages on iMessage are scheduled to expire two minutes after both the recipient and the sender have listened to the audio message. 

There is a two-minute time limit on all audio messages sent and received via the Messages app. After you’ve listened to the audio messages you get, the two-minute expiration period begins. Although for the sent messages the two-minute countdown begins from the sent time.

This feature serves as protection if you send or receive sensitive material that you don’t want to be stored in your communications, such as confidential information. However, if you’d rather, you can choose to keep them.

Prevent voice messages on iPhone from disappearing

Certain methods can help in preventing voice messages from disappearing on their own.

1. On your iPhone it is a default setting of iMessage due to which voice messages disappear after a set period. This default setting can be changed at your convenience in case you wish to keep the voice messages from disappearing.

Follow the steps mention below to prevent voice messages on iPhone from disappearing:

1. Go to the settings menu on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down the menu and click on the Messages option.
3. Look for the Audio Messages option and click on the Expire option.
4. Choose the never option to stop voice messages from disappearing.

Once you’ve set the Expire option to Never, any voice message received after that will not disappear unless deleted manually.

2. Aside from changing the default settings on your iPhone you can save the voice message in the chat. The Keep feature on iMessage allows users to save audio messages in the chat. It works irrespective of the default settings on iPhone.

Follow the steps below to save voice messages on chat:

1. Launch the iMessage app and open the desired chat thread.
2. After listening to the voice message click on the Keep button present under it.

This will save the particular voice message in the chat for you.

Why did the voice message disappear after sending it?

You might return to an audio message after sending or receiving it to give it another listen, only to find that you can no longer play it. The voice message previously sent or received has now disappeared from the app.

Apple keeps the default setting for its messaging app set such that voice messages disappear after 2 minutes automatically. This setting helps in conserving phone storage by removing the no-longer-needed voice notes.

Some other reasons for voice messages disappearing on iPhones are:

• The message has been removed from the chat thread or the conversation has been closed, which is one of the most frequent causes. 
• Audio messages can also vanish if the audio file is erased from either the sender’s or the recipient’s device. 
• The message was deleted by the iPhone’s data management system to make room.
• Furthermore, if the audio message’s file size exceeds that of the app, it might not be sent or it might be erased automatically after a set period.
• It’s feasible that some technical glitch while sending or receiving the voice message caused the disappearance of the message.
• Change in the system setting after a recent iOS update can also lead to the disappearing of voice messages.

Recovering disappeared voice messages on iPhone

It is common for iPhone users to lose some of their voice messages from time to time. Some of these voice messages can be essential and need to be retrieved. Luckily it is possible to recover the deleted or disappeared voice messages on iPhone using one of the following methods:

1. Using iCloud Backup
2. Using iTunes Backup
3. Using Data Recovery tools 

It’s crucial to remember that voice messages on iPhones are not always saved up by iCloud or iTunes, so if a message is unintentionally deleted or disappears for any other reason, it cannot be restored unless a backup was previously made.

When do voice messages disappear on iPhones?

By default, the voice messages remain on your iPhone unless they are manually deleted by either the sender or receiver. However, if the user has configured their iMessage settings to erase messages automatically after a specific period. The voice messages will disappear on their own.

The users have the option to change the settings from the Messages option and set the times at their convenience.

SEE ALSO:

• Fix: iPhone Audio Message Icon Missing
• Does IMessage Notify When You Save A Photo, Or Screenshot
• Why Does My IMessage Keep Turning Off
• If I Unblock Someone On IMessage, What Happens

Final Words

Communicating through voice messages is more convenient than typing a text message. But this changes if you start losing the important voice messages on your iPhone. So it’s better to save the important messages or change the default settings before sending out essential voice notes.

Hopefully, you find the information provided in the article useful in keeping your voice messages safe on your iPhone. Also, check out this article if you want to remove Whatsapp calls from your iPhone call logs.