
How to Delete Text Messages in Your iPhone Backup When you want all of your messages with someone gone, here's what to do:Ģ. So, for those of you who don't create backups or have any other Apple devices, this will be good enough. Plus, when messages get deleted the regular way, they are actually deleted, unlike in previous versions of iOS where the Spotlight Search bug worked. Whether you want to save space or erase sensitive material, deleting texts can be an essential part of owning an iPhone. How to Delete Text Messages on Your iPhone If you have an Apple device but not an iPhone, those devices will not receive texts - only iMessages. You can send and receive texts on an iPad, iPod touch, and Mac, but they must be associated with an iPhone that has "Text Message Forwarding" turned on. However, if there is no Wi-Fi or cellular data connection, iMessages cannot be sent. iMessages work through internet, which allows them to have more capabilities than texts, such as Apple's Bubble, Screen, and Tapback effects. The messages in blue boxes in the Messages app are iMessages, and are only available to send and receive between Apple devices associated with an Apple ID. Texts are what all smartphones and most cell phones can send and receive, and include MMS texts, i.e., multimedia texts with images and video, as well.ĭon't Miss: The Coolest iOS 10 Features You Didn't Know About The messages in green boxes in the Messages app are SMS text messages that you send to phone numbers unassociated with an Apple ID, like to people with Android phones. For this guide, we'll be focusing solely on Apple's Messages app. Your iPhone supports multiple technologies in its Messages app, not to mention in other third-party messaging applications. To really wipe the slate clean, you've got to attack it from all angles. Deleted SMS, MMS, and iMessages can be found in your iCloud backup files, iTunes backup files, and even hiding in the Messages app on your Mac computer. Don't Miss: 200+ Exciting New iOS 13 Features for iPhoneīut staying up to date with iOS doesn't mean your text messages aren't still lingering out there somewhere.

If you'd like to fix this problem permanently, updating is the best way to go.

Over time, iOS has gotten better at managing your deleted data, so this issue does not persist in the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system.

In older versions of iOS, deleted text messages weren't completely erased from an iPhone, and they'd be available for viewing right inside Spotlight Search. Data can stick around, even if you asked it not to, so there's always a slight chance that embarrassing and incriminating texts you supposedly deleted may end up in the wrong hands one day. Deleting text messages on your iPhone may seem like a pretty simple task, but it's those really simple tasks that usually end up causing headaches later on.
