Usually, it is always advisable not to store confidential text messages on your device. Not only on iPhone. Android and Windows phones inclusive. But if you do so, I can tell it to your face that it’s not a good security practice.
However, if you do not know how to delete text messages on your iPhone, this article will help to figure out how to delete a confidential text message on your iPhone permanently.
So, in this article, I will be breaking down everything you know on how to delete text messages on iPhone either from your device or from a sender.
How to Delete Text Messages on iPhone (Single Message)
Deciding to delete messages on your Messaging app could come as a result of some confidential information that is sent to you since you don’t want it sitting on your message.
That being said, here are the steps you should take if you want to delete text messages on your iPhone.
Recommended: How to Get Back Deleted Messages on iPhone
- Launch the Messages app.
- Go to the conversation or thread you want to delete from
- Locate the message you want to delete
- Now, hold the message you want to delete till the menu pops up.
- Now, tap More.
- After doing that, a circle should appear next to each message.
- Simply Tap the trash can icon.
- A prompt will confirm your decision. Simply tap Delete Message
How to Delete Text Messages on iPhone (Multiple Messages)
If you want to delete multiple messages on your iPhone it follows a similar process. Here is how you can do it.
Here is how to do that
- Launch the Messages app.
- Go to the conversation or thread you want to delete from
- Locate the message you want to delete
- Now, hold the message you want to delete till the menu pops up.
- Now, tap More.
- After doing that, a circle should appear next to each message.
- Now pick all the messages you want to delete
- After doing that, Tap the trash can icon.
- A prompt will confirm your decision. Simply tap Delete Message
How to Delete Entire Text Messages on iPhone
If you have a lot of messages on your conversation thread you might want to consider deleting the whole thread.
That being said. Here is how to do that.
- Begin by opening the Message app
- Now, go to the conversation you want to delete
- Swipe left on the conversation you want to delete
- After doing that, you will see a red delete icon at the right of the thread
- Tap on it to delete the entire thread
NOTE: This step is irreversible. So once you delete the thread or any message you cannot retrieve it back
How to Automatically Delete Old Messages
Since you know how to delete messages from your device. What if you want to delete old messages probably they are stored up on your device and are taking up space.
Follow the steps below…
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone
- Tap on messages
- Next, Tap keep messages
Over here, you can change the default settings on your iPhone since its default settings are set to keep images on your device forever. Here is what you should do
- Change the default to “30 Days” or ‘1 Year.” depending on what suits you.
- Once you change this, your device would get rid of messages after the specified period
How to Delete Text Messages on iPhone 11
If you are using an iPhone 11 device. Deleting text messages is not different from the procedure of other Apple devices. But then the slight difference in the steps comes as a result of the iOS version your iPhone is running
That being said, here is how to delete text messages on iPhone 11 if you want to delete multiple messages at a go.
- Open the Messages app.
- Navigate to the conversation or the thread you want to delete from
- Navigate to the message you want to delete
- Now, hold the message you want to delete till the menu pops up.
- Now, tap More.
- After doing that, a circle should appear next to each message.
- Now pick all the messages you want to delete
- After doing that, Tap the trash can icon.
- A prompt will confirm your decision. Simply tap Delete Message
Once you’ve done that the message you selected would not be on your device anymore.
How to Delete Text Messages on iPhone 12
If you are using iPhone 12 and it uses the iOS 14 version. Follow the guidelines below to delete multiple messages on your device
- Launch the Messages app.
- Go to the conversation or thread you want to delete from
- Locate the message that was sent that you want to delete
- Now, hold the message till the menu pops up.
- Tap More.
- After doing that, a circle should appear next to each message.
- Now pick all the messages you want to delete
- After doing that, Tap the trash can icon.
- A prompt will confirm your decision. Simply tap Delete Message
NOTE: Deleted messages are not retrievable
How to Delete a Text Message that was sent
If you were sent a piece of confidential information or something personal that you don’t want a third party to see.
You can simply delete it from your device. Deleting it means you won’t be able to retrieve it unless there was a recent update that saved it on your iCloud
That being said, here is how to delete a sent text message
- Lauch the Messages app.
- Go to the conversation or thread you want to delete from
- Locate the message that was sent that you want to delete
- Now, hold the message till the menu pops up.
- Tap More.
- After doing that, a circle should appear next to each message.
- Now pick all the messages you want to delete
- After doing that, Tap the trash can icon.
- A prompt will confirm your decision. Simply tap Delete Message
Can I recover Deleted Messages?
Usually, you won’t be able to retrieve messages once you delete them. But there is a condition to it. If there was a recent update before you deleted the messages you would be able to find it in your iCloud account.
If there was no recent update, then you can’t retrieve the message anymore
If I delete a Message from my iPhone, will it also delete from my other iOS devices?
Firstly there are no guarantees to this, as the effect could take changes in all your connected iOS devices, but it should still be available on your iCloud.
But then, If you delete it from your iCloud account. Once you delete it on the messaging app you won’t be able to retrieve it
In addition to all this, you should check this post to learn more about how to recover deleted messages
When you delete a message on your iPhone does the other person still see it?
Of course not. This isn’t an instant messaging app. the message is sent through the network carrier. So once you delete the message on your device, the person at the other end won’t be able to see
However, there is a trick you can use to delete it from the other person’s side.
Simply take their device
- Launch their messaging app
- Look for your conversation with the person. You can do that by searching for a word or two you used during the conversation
- Open the thread
- Select the messages you want to delete
- Tap delete in the top left corner
If you want to delete the whole thread, do not open the conversation, locate it and swipe left on it
Final thoughts
Since you have been able to figure out how to delete text messages on your iPhone. You shouldn’t have any issue deleting confidential information on any version of the iPhone model.