Way to insert content into iMessage thread without actually sending to recipients? (Or restore lost messages?)

[The Toddler]

So I recently restored my iPhone 12 mini from backup, and as a result lost a couple days' worth of text messages. But for one conversation, I took a picture of the messages from those days so I'd have a record of it after the restoration.

Is there a way to insert those pictures into the iMessage conversation without the pictures actually sending to the recipient? That way I'd still have the full record.

In rare circumstances in the past when I've inserted pictures, I'd see a "this message failed to send" and the recipient never got it. So under certain conditions, what I'm seeking to do is possible, but those could have been flukes not easily duplicated.

If anyone has any insight on this, I'd appreciate it! Alternately, if there's some way to restore messages from the last few days, that could work, too. But I'm a Sprint/T-Mobile customer, and I've been led to believe that isn't possible. Thanks!

 

[lostPod]

I don't belive its possible. But if you have iMessage on an iPad or Mac, etc. it will show the previous messages. That can be your "backup".

 

[The Toddler]

So I think I found a workaround solution after some experimentation.

I tried putting the phone in airplane mode and sending my screenshots in the iMessage conversation. Both my trial text and trial screenshot were listed as "not delivered" in red. However, when I turned airplane mode off, the image went through.

So then I turned airplane mode on and turned off iMessage and tried again, with the iPhone treating it as a SMS message. This time, when I turned airplane mode off, nothing was sent. So I guess I can live with that.