What About Green Messages? When messages are not sent through Apple, those messages are saved and stored according to a cellular provider’s terms. Some providers keep messages longer than others, but some do not keep messages for any length of time at all.
Again, it’s essential to ask a provider for all cell phone information as soon as you need it. Whether your messages are going through Apple or another company, if you wait too long to gather any of this information the result will be text messages that are not recoverable.