Deleting Text Messages: A Complete Tutorial

Text messages are an important part of staying connected, but sometimes they can also be a hindrance. Having too many text messages and receiving text messages that are upsetting or inappropriate isn’t any fun, and in these cases, it is worth it to be able to delete text messages from your phone.

Depending on your device, the process for deleting text messages might differ slightly, but the overall idea is the same.

How To Remove Text Messages From Your iPhone

When deleting text messages from an iPhone, it is important to be aware of whether your iCloud settings are turned on. If your iCloud is on for messages, deleting a text on your iPhone will delete the text on all devices connected to the cloud.

Deleting messages on your iPhone is a simple process. To delete a text:

1. Press and hold the desired message.
2. After holding down the text, a selection screen will appear. Select “More…” and to the left of all the messages will be hollow bubbles and checkmarks.
3. After selecting the messages, tap the icon shaped like a trash can. Then press “delete message.”
4. If desired, the entire text thread can be erased by clicking “delete all” at the top left corner of the screen.

How To Remove Text Messages From Your Android Phone

Removing text messages from your android can be done in five simple steps.

1. First, open your messages.
2. Next, find and tap on the conversation that includes the desired message to be removed.
3. From there, locate the text message that you want to delete. Tap and hold down on the message.
4. After holding down on the message, a trash can icon should appear on the screen. Click the trash can.
5. Lastly, tap delete to confirm and finalize your selection.

Before You Delete Your Messages, Consider Your Options

Before deleting your messages, consider additional options. One option is to set up automatic text deletions. Both iPhones and Androids are equipped with the ability to delete old messages automatically.

This can be personalized to delete them as frequently or infrequently as you want. This can be accomplished by going to your settings app and selecting the settings for text messages.

Another option, if you have an iPhone, is to remove text messages from the cloud settings to limit the devices that messages can be viewed on. Although deleting messages on the cloud deletes the text on all devices, text messages can be restored through iCloud backups and recovery.

Lastly, it is important to remember that deleting text messages can be permanent.

Can I Un-Delete Messages?

Deleting text messages on your iPhone can be reversible depending on your phone’s settings. If your text messages are connected to the cloud, it is possible to restore deleted messages by initiating an iCloud backup or recovery. Additionally, some phone carriers can recover deleted text messages if requested.

Android phones, on the other hand, have a more permanent form of text deletion. If your android is backed up to Google Drive, text recovery can be restored simply by backing up your phone.

Otherwise, if you want to recover a deleted text message, immediately turn off your phone to avoid any additional data getting overwritten. There are third-party programs such as Android Data recovery that you can try to use if you want to recover your data.  

Do I Want To Remove My Text Messages?

Deleting text messages holds many benefits. Not only does it free up storage space on your phone, but it also allows additional privacy and security to the phone owner if it were to be stolen or lost.

Although recovering deleted texts can be a tedious process, there are opportunities to save lost messages if doubt ever occurs. If you want to save yourself the monotony, you should consider using a third-party app that can help you manage where and when you see your messages.

Burner lets you create a second phone number, which can be used to take any messages or calls that you would prefer not to have on your main messaging app. Just like with a real burner phone, numbers created with Burner can be discarded once you are done with them, saving you from having to delete them one by one later.

Conclusion

It is healthy to be certain of when you want to delete a text message, given the hassle involved with trying to recover them once they have been deleted. Apple and Android devices both provide you with the means to get rid of any messages you don’t want to remain on your phone.

However, if you use an app like Burner, you can avoid picking and choosing what you want to keep or get rid of. Burner is a secure app that protects your original phone number, making it the perfect solution for people who want to send messages that don’t stick around on their phones.

Check out Burner’s seven-day free trial if you want to see these features in action for yourself.

Sources:

How to delete messages in iCloud | Apple

How to Delete Text Messages Android Phone or Tablet | Tech Solutions

How to Recover Deleted Text Messages on Your iPhone | Business Insider

How to Recover Deleted Text Messages on Android | Business Insider