How to Obtain Cell Phone Text History

Texting is ubiquitous among today's youth and many adults.

You have several options when trying access your cell phone's text history. If your phone has a SIM card, you can slide the card into a SIM card reader, allowing you to pull up past texts. Steer clear of any online vendors that claim to have access to phone records.Under the Consumer Telephone Records Protection Act of 2006, it is illegal to try to access anyone else's call and text records, unless you have a warrant allowing you to do so.

Instructions

1. Go online to your cell phone service provider's website. Log in to your account to access your past texts. In most cases, you will only be able to see the times of your texts and the numbers to which they were sent.

2. Access your account online if you have a digital phone service, such as Google Voice. You should be able to see not only the times and phone numbers of your texts, but also the texts themselves. This only applies to texts sent to and from your digital phone number.

3. Contact your local law enforcement agency about getting a copy of your phone records. Depending on the agency, you may be directed to the local bureau of the FBI. However, you will likely have to obtain a court order.

References

• BB Geeks: How to Recover Deleted Text Message from Your BlackBerry
• Bind Apple: Recover Deleted Text Message iPhone
• GovTrac.us: S. 2178: Consumer Telephone Records Protection Act of 2006