diff --git a/app/main/views/conversation.py b/app/main/views/conversation.py
index abdd416de..53c79372a 100644
--- a/app/main/views/conversation.py
+++ b/app/main/views/conversation.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from notifications_utils.recipients import format_phone_number_human_readable
 from notifications_utils.template import SMSPreviewTemplate
 from app.main import main
 from app.main.forms import SearchTemplatesForm
-from app.utils import user_has_permissions
+from app.utils import user_has_permissions, unescape_string
 from app import notification_api_client, service_api_client
 from notifications_python_client.errors import HTTPError
 
@@ -120,12 +120,7 @@ def get_sms_thread(service_id, user_number):
         yield {
             'inbound': is_inbound,
             'content': SMSPreviewTemplate(
-                {
-                    'content': (
-                        notification['content'] if is_inbound else
-                        notification['template']['content']
-                    )
-                },
+                {'content': get_sms_content(notification, is_inbound)},
                 notification.get('personalisation'),
                 downgrade_non_gsm_characters=(not is_inbound),
                 redact_missing_personalisation=redact_personalisation,
@@ -134,3 +129,10 @@ def get_sms_thread(service_id, user_number):
             'status': notification.get('status'),
             'id': notification['id'],
         }
+
+
+def get_sms_content(notification, is_inbound):
+    return (
+        unescape_string(notification['content']) if is_inbound else
+        notification['template']['content']
+    )
diff --git a/app/main/views/dashboard.py b/app/main/views/dashboard.py
index ce63fdc00..5b59ff912 100644
--- a/app/main/views/dashboard.py
+++ b/app/main/views/dashboard.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ from app.utils import (
     FAILURE_STATUSES,
     REQUESTED_STATUSES,
     Spreadsheet,
+    unescape_string,
 )
 
 
@@ -203,6 +204,9 @@ def get_inbox_partials(service_id):
             format_phone_number_human_readable(message['user_number'])
             for message in messages_to_show
         }:
+            message.update({
+                'content': unescape_string(message['content'])
+            })
             messages_to_show.append(message)
 
     if not inbound_messages:
diff --git a/app/utils.py b/app/utils.py
index 3a69f4486..e446f9b94 100644
--- a/app/utils.py
+++ b/app/utils.py
@@ -379,3 +379,7 @@ def get_cdn_domain():
     domain = parsed_uri.netloc[len(subdomain + '.'):]
 
     return "static-logos.{}".format(domain)
+
+
+def unescape_string(string):
+    return bytes(string, "utf-8").decode('unicode_escape')
diff --git a/tests/app/main/views/test_conversation.py b/tests/app/main/views/test_conversation.py
index dba58a14c..f4edb3685 100644
--- a/tests/app/main/views/test_conversation.py
+++ b/tests/app/main/views/test_conversation.py
@@ -161,6 +161,29 @@ def test_view_conversation(
         ) == expected
 
 
+def test_escaped_characters_in_inbound_messages(
+    client_request,
+    mock_get_notification,
+    mock_get_notifications,
+    mock_get_inbound_sms_with_special_characters,
+    fake_uuid,
+):
+
+    page = client_request.get(
+        'main.conversation',
+        service_id=SERVICE_ONE_ID,
+        notification_id=fake_uuid,
+    )
+
+    assert normalize_spaces(
+        str(page.select_one('.sms-message-inbound .sms-message-wrapper'))
+    ) == (
+        "<div class=\"sms-message-wrapper\"> "
+        "the first line's content<br/>the second line's content "
+        "</div>"
+    )
+
+
 def test_view_conversation_updates(
     logged_in_client,
     mocker,
diff --git a/tests/app/main/views/test_dashboard.py b/tests/app/main/views/test_dashboard.py
index 35a68dea4..b1787c691 100644
--- a/tests/app/main/views/test_dashboard.py
+++ b/tests/app/main/views/test_dashboard.py
@@ -172,6 +172,25 @@ def test_inbox_showing_inbound_messages(
     )
 
 
+def test_inbox_handles_escaped_characters(
+    client_request,
+    service_one,
+    mock_get_inbound_sms_with_special_characters,
+):
+
+    service_one['permissions'] = ['inbound_sms']
+
+    page = client_request.get('main.inbox', service_id=SERVICE_ONE_ID)
+
+    assert normalize_spaces(
+        str(page.select_one('tbody tr .file-list-hint'))
+    ) == (
+        "<span class=\"file-list-hint\">"
+        "the first line's content the second line's content"
+        "</span>"
+    )
+
+
 def test_empty_inbox(
     logged_in_client,
     service_one,
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index e1341994e..b61f228a2 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -1762,6 +1762,26 @@ def mock_get_inbound_sms(mocker):
     )
 
 
+@pytest.fixture(scope='function')
+def mock_get_inbound_sms_with_special_characters(mocker):
+    def _get_inbound_sms(
+        service_id,
+        user_number=None,
+    ):
+        return [{
+            'user_number': '07900900001',
+            'notify_number': '07900000002',
+            'content': "the first line\\'s content\\nthe second line\\'s content",
+            'created_at': datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
+            'id': sample_uuid(),
+        }]
+
+    return mocker.patch(
+        'app.service_api_client.get_inbound_sms',
+        side_effect=_get_inbound_sms,
+    )
+
+
 @pytest.fixture(scope='function')
 def mock_get_inbound_sms_with_no_messages(mocker):
     def _get_inbound_sms(