How Long Does Viber Keep Messages — and Can Deleted Viber Messages Be Recovered for Court?
Reviewed by Jacob Reed, founder of Verity ·
Short answer
Viber deletes a message from its servers as soon as it is delivered (or after 14 days if it can't be delivered), so the chat exists only on the phones and computers in it and in any Google Drive or iCloud backup. Either person can delete their messages for both sides at any time. Email yourself the chat history from Viber's settings now.
Viber is built to keep as little as possible: once a message arrives, Viber itself no longer has it. That makes your own phone the record. Here is what lasts where, what deleting does, and how to keep a copy.
How long does Viber keep messages?
On Viber’s servers
Only until the message is delivered. Viber’s privacy policy says it deletes a message once it is delivered, or after 14 days if it could not be delivered in that time. Photos and other media sent in a chat are not kept after delivery either.
On your phone
The chat history lives on the devices where Viber is installed, and stays there until someone deletes it. Viber Desktop keeps its own copy on the computer.
In your backup
Viber can back up your chat history to your own Google Drive or iCloud account. That backup is held by Google or Apple, not by Viber.
Inactive accounts
Viber’s privacy policy says an account may be deactivated if you don’t log in for twelve months in a row, or if you uninstall the app and don’t reinstall it within two weeks.
What happens when a Viber message is deleted?
Deleting for everyone
Viber lets you delete or edit a message you sent at any time, even after it was seen, and it is removed for both of you. Viber’s pages give no time limit.
Disappearing messages
Either person can set a self-destruct timer. After a message is read and the time is up, it is deleted from every side of the chat. While the timer is on, Viber posts a notice in the chat when someone takes a screenshot.
Deleting your account
Viber’s privacy policy says your chats are deleted from your devices. It keeps call detail records for 24 months and support conversations for 10 years, but not message content.
Can deleted Viber messages be recovered?
Not from Viber, which keeps no copy after delivery. Where a deleted message can still exist:
- A Google Drive or iCloud backup made before the message was deleted. Export the chats as they are now and talk to your lawyer before you restore anything.
- An email export made earlier, by you or anyone else in the chat. The file doesn't change when the chat does.
- A computer with Viber Desktop, which keeps its own copy of the history.
- Screenshots and notification previews taken before the message was removed.
Deleting your own messages once a case is likely can be treated as destroying evidence; see deleting texts during a custody case and auto-deleting apps and spoliation.
How do you save a Viber chat for court?
1.Email yourself the chat history today
On your phone, open Viber, then More, then Settings, then Calls and messages, then Email message history (some versions say Email chat history). Viber makes a ZIP with your text messages as CSV files, one row per message. Send it to yourself and keep it in two places.
2.Move before the other person can delete
The other person can delete any message they sent, for both of you, at any time. A file you made today keeps what was there today.
3.Check for a disappearing-message timer
If the chat has a timer on, messages are deleted after they are read. Export or photograph what matters before you open new messages in that chat.
4.Keep the phone and the backup
Don’t clear the chat, uninstall Viber or delete your account. Note the date of your last Google Drive or iCloud backup: it may hold messages deleted since.
5.Write down what was deleted
Keep a dated note of any message the other person deleted and what it said, and tell your lawyer. They can ask the other side to preserve their copy.
Full steps for phones and Viber Desktop, and why the per-chat backup file is the wrong one, are in exporting Viber messages for court.
Can a lawyer get Viber messages from Viber?
No. Viber's privacy policy says it may give law enforcement or authorized third parties account activity, identifiers and the phone's address book, in response to verified requests about crimes or illegal activity, and does so without breaking its end-to-end encryption. Message content is not on that list, and Viber doesn't keep it once delivered. In a custody or divorce case, the messages come from the phones, backups and exports of the people in the chat; see how discovery of the other parent's messages works.
Can Verity read a Viber export?
Yes. Drop in the ZIP from Viber's email export, one of its CSV files, or Viber Desktop's viber.db, and Verity reads it in your browser without uploading it. It numbers every message in date order and flags patterns such as threats, gaslighting and message flooding. You can read the whole conversation on screen for free.
Common questions
Can Viber recover deleted messages?
No. Viber deletes messages from its servers once they are delivered, so it has no copy to restore. A deleted message may still be in a Google Drive or iCloud backup made before it was deleted, or on another device.
Can the other person delete my copy of a Viber message?
They can delete messages they sent, for both of you, at any time. Viber also lets either person set disappearing messages, which delete themselves after being read.
Can a lawyer get Viber messages from Viber?
Not the messages. Viber’s privacy policy lists what it may give law enforcement: account activity, identifiers and the address book, in criminal and similar investigations. Message content is not on that list and Viber does not keep it after delivery. In a family case, the messages come from the phones of the people in the chat.
Does Viber tell the other person if I take a screenshot?
Only in a chat with disappearing messages turned on. Then Viber posts a notice in the chat.
Other apps work differently: see how long WhatsApp keeps messages, how long Telegram keeps messages and how long Signal keeps messages.
Viber pages cited
Read on October 31, 2026. Viber changes these features; check before you rely on them.
This is general information, not legal advice. Verity is not a law firm and is not affiliated with Viber. Ask your attorney what your case needs. If you are in danger, call 911; the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
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