"I've been using an iPhone 15 for a while and have accumulated a lot of text messages over time. For privacy and storage reasons, I want to make sure that some of these messages are permanently deleted. I'm aware of the basic deletion process, but I'm not sure if this is enough to ensure that the messages are completely irrecoverable. Can someone guide me through the steps to permanently delete text messages from an iPhone? Also, is there a way to confirm that these messages are indeed permanently deleted and not just hidden or archived somewhere?"
- from Apple Community
Do you have the same question? You clearly deleted your text messages, but they appeared again when you searched with Spotlight? What's the matter? How can I delete these text messages for real? You've come to the right place! In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps on how to permanently delete messages on iPhone. No more worrying about old texts lingering on your device. Let's get started!
The best way to permanently delete messages from your iPhone is to use Coolmuster iOS Eraser. It is a professional data-erasing tool designed for iOS devices. With this tool, you can delete various types of data, not limited to messages, from your iOS device. iOS Eraser ensures that previously deleted data is 100% unrecoverable by thoroughly overwriting it, even with the professional iPhone data recovery tool.
It is important to note that while conducting permanent erasure, the app will delete files on your iPhone in passing. It is highly recommended that you back up your iPhone before and after you erase text messages on your iPhone.
Key features of iOS Eraser:
Download and install iOS Eraser on your computer. After you download it, would you like to see how it works?
Here is how to permanently delete messages on iPhone using iOS Eraser:
01Install and open the app. Then, connect the iPhone containing the texts to be permanently deleted to the PC via a USB cord. At the sight of "Erase" on the windows below, please tap it to go to the next step.
02Choose the security level for erasing. To delete messages permanently, kindly advise you to choose "Medium Level" or "High Level". After that, please click "OK" to continue.
03Enter the word "delete" in the blank field for confirmation, then proceed by clicking the "Erase" button. Upon the prompt asking if you are certain about completely erasing your phone data, click the "OK" button to initiate the process.
04After the process is finished, all data on your device will be permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. You can then move on to setting up your iDevice.
Video Tutorial:
In addition to using iOS Eraser to permanently delete iPhone texts, there are five other methods you can try to remove saved messages from your iPhone. However, it's important to note that while these methods can clean up conversation history, some data may still be recoverable using specialized iPhone data recovery tools.
The first and most straightforward way is to delete iMessages and texts directly from the Messages app.
How do you delete text messages from iPhone permanently? Here are the steps:
Step 1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
Step 2. Locate the conversation you want to remove.
Step 3. Press and hold the specific text message.
Step 4. Tap "More…" and select the messages you want to delete.
Step 5. Tap the "trash" can icon, then confirm "Delete Message".
Step 6. Next, tap "Edit" in the top-left corner of iMessages and select "Show Recently Deleted". From there, you can choose the recently deleted messages and remove them permanently.
Regularly syncing your iPhone with iCloud or iTunes ensures that the data you've designated for deletion gets permanently erased. In other words, if you delete a text message on your iPhone and then sync it with iCloud or iTunes, the deleted message will be removed permanently.
Step 1. Open iTunes and link your iPhone to your PC. Then, choose your iPhone name from the upper-right corner of the page.
Step 2. Click "Summary" from the upper-left corner and tick "This Computer" below the "Backups" menu in the middle of the interface.
Step 3. Tap "Back Up Now" to back up your iPhone messages, and then hit "Done" in the lower right corner. After that, you can erase your text messages on your iPhone.
Step 1. Access the "Settings" on your iPhone, select "[your name]", and proceed to "iCloud", then "iCloud Backup".
Step 2. Upon enabling iCloud Backup, click "Back Up Now" to initiate the backup process.
If you have iCloud backup enabled on your iPhone, both iMessages and text messages are automatically stored in your iCloud. To completely delete your iPhone messages, you can remove the backed-up messages from iCloud.
Here is how to permanently delete iMessages from iCloud backup:
Step 1. Open the "Settings" app and tap on your name to access iCloud settings.
Step 2. In the iCloud section, select "Manage Storage".
Step 3. Locate and tap on the "Messages" category.
Step 4. Next, tap on "Disable & Delete". This will permanently delete all your text messages stored in iCloud.
Simply deleting messages from your iPhone doesn't always remove all traces of them. Deleted text messages may still be stored in the Messages app on your Mac. To permanently delete text messages on your iPhone from your Mac, you can try these options:
If you're looking to delete text messages from your iPhone, especially if you're planning to sell or donate the device, it's strongly recommended to perform a factory reset. This method will not only remove your text messages but also offer a simple way to improve your iPhone's performance. Follow the steps below to initiate a factory reset and completely erase messages from your iPhone:
Step 1. Navigate to the "Settings" app and select "General".
Step 2. Scroll down to the bottom and tap on "Reset".
Step 3. Choose "Erase All Content and Settings", and input your passcode if required.
Step 4. Tap "Erase iPhone" and confirm by tapping "Erase iPhone" once more. (iPhone won't erase?)
Step 5. Wait for your iPhone to complete the wiping process and restart. Proceed to set it up as a new device.
If you prefer not to worry about manually deleting messages, you can enable the iPhone's auto-delete feature. To enable it, follow the steps below:
Step 1. Go to "Settings" > "Messages".
Step 2. Scroll to "Keep Messages".
Step 3. Choose "30 Days" or "1 Year" instead of "Forever".
Step 4. Your iPhone will automatically delete texts that exceed the selected time frame.
We introduced six methods on how to permanently delete messages on iPhone in this guide. Of course, if you want to permanently delete messages, leaving zero opportunity to recover, I suggest you use Coolmuster iOS Eraser. As a professional software for data deletion, it offers three erasure levels, which can safely delete your messages in a short time. This is a very good app, well worth considering to take away your trouble. Thus, why not download it to permanently delete text messages now?
Remind you again that, before the deletion, you need to make a backup for important data, whether you want to permanently delete iPhone messages, delete unwanted files, or release memory for upgrading your iOS system, before you donate or resell your iPhone.
Related Articles:
[Step-by-Step Guide] How to Permanently Delete Files on iPhone/iPad?
[Full Guide] How to Delete Messages from iCloud But Not iPhone?
How to Delete Everything on iPhone? Solved in 4 Effective Ways
iPhone Deletes Text Messages Automatically? Why and How to Recover
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