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Deleting iMessage Threads - Am I alone?
- Thread starter ApplePersonFreak
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Genuine question: If you're dead in a ditch, what's the process that would happen whereby your phone would be unlocked by someone and given to your parents to look at? Like is that a thing that happens wherever you're based? I don't think I've ever heard of anything like that, but I'm honestly curious that you seem to think it's enough of a concern to take precautions over.
Me, I like the way it was before - you could delete the current conversation off of your device, but it was still in Apple's cloud - and it didn't delete the conversation off of your other devices. And, when you kicked off a new message with that individual, it retrieved the message history from the cloud.
It was elegant, kept your history, yet still allowed you to keep the conversations on your iPhone down to a few that you wanted to have active.
And, yes, I get it - I'm pretty sure Apple changed it as the storage space in the cloud for iMessage was likely becoming pretty ridiculous.
It was elegant, kept your history, yet still allowed you to keep the conversations on your iPhone down to a few that you wanted to have active.
And, yes, I get it - I'm pretty sure Apple changed it as the storage space in the cloud for iMessage was likely becoming pretty ridiculous.
I will delete obscure groups chats that I will never use again, but otherwise I keep them and have messages auto delete after a year.
Incidentally I do this with email too. I work for a large corporation and receive 100-200 email a day. Don't worry, I don't read them all. Rules Rule! But there are only a few things to do with an email.
1. Read and respond, then Delete
2. Read and Delete
3. Delete
4. Read, a task needs to be done, add it to task list, delete.
5. On occasion, save as a "receipt. (Closing on a house for example)
It is so liberating to not save things that you are doing so to 'cover your assets' CYA or to prove something later. If there is information you want to retain, put it in a doc.
Beyond being efficient, there are legal reasons as well on the personal front. Everything you retain is potential legally incriminating. Would you be 100% happy with ALL your emails and messages being read in court or on the news? Think it doesn't happen, Ted Cruz, Alec Baldwin, yesterday or Insert any celebrity ever.
Get in an accident, phone is checked by police while you are unconscious, nope you were not texting, but what is all this incoherent rambling in the in the group Buddies, where you "under the influence," maybe not, prove it in court.
Disclaimer: Step father was an attorney.
1. Read and respond, then Delete
2. Read and Delete
3. Delete
4. Read, a task needs to be done, add it to task list, delete.
5. On occasion, save as a "receipt. (Closing on a house for example)
It is so liberating to not save things that you are doing so to 'cover your assets' CYA or to prove something later. If there is information you want to retain, put it in a doc.
Beyond being efficient, there are legal reasons as well on the personal front. Everything you retain is potential legally incriminating. Would you be 100% happy with ALL your emails and messages being read in court or on the news? Think it doesn't happen, Ted Cruz, Alec Baldwin, yesterday or Insert any celebrity ever.
Get in an accident, phone is checked by police while you are unconscious, nope you were not texting, but what is all this incoherent rambling in the in the group Buddies, where you "under the influence," maybe not, prove it in court.
Disclaimer: Step father was an attorney.
I honestly haven’t given it much thought. My passcode could be easily guessed, and my messages sync with my iMac which has no passcode and little security. One day I just imaged my parents having to come to my apartment and pack up my belongings and thought “ew, and they’d see all my texts on my computer” and that was that. There’s really nothing more to it.
It’s really not a huge concern of mine at all - it was just a small thought that basically gave me an excuse to delete all of my messages. I get pleasure from opening the Messages app and seeing nothing in there, as opposed to hundreds of old conversation threads. It’s as simple as that.
It depends on the person in a conversation, but I tend to keep a record of all my messages for a specified amount of time. Both for personal and Proffesional reasons. Sometimes it's good to remind people what they said, but for the most part it's like my notes. If someone text's me something that's important I can just search iMessage until it auto deletes it...
Unlimited everything iCloud storage plans please.
I wish there was a no history option with iMessage where it would delete every conversation within an x amount of time of the app not being touched. A lot of other chat apps have this feature.
I save my iMessages and .... I wouldn't want anyone looking at those things. My wife accepts me for who I am so I wouldn't mind her seeing my messages but ... it's none of your business for everyone else. lol.
That's my reasoning - I don't think anyone (but my wife) could access my phone in the event that I get hit by a bus / incapacitated.
There's that saying right? Better safe than sorry? I know I talk about sensitive things in my iMessages - work related, personal, etc. I do trust that it is behind a very secure firewall with Apple.
There is. In settings for Messages you can choose to keep them for 30 days, a year, or forever.
I often delete Text/iMessage threads, to keep things as clean as I can, usually due to the copious pictures/videos shared back and forth. Additionally, I use my personal phone for client communication, and so my chat threads grow regularly.
What I find totally shocking, UNLESS I have missed it...that I can't do a search for a KEYWORD in Messages, but then actually be able to slide to delete! 🤯
So I have to send another text to that person, typically just a blank space, or I have to go on a treasure hunt for that specific thread down the long rabbit-hole of messages, or create a "new contact" long enough to find the actual message thread, to then be able to delete it, and then the contact.
How come I can't search for a keyboard in messages, then See All, then delete one by one there? Seems like a glaring but obvious feature that should have been implemented long ago.
What I find totally shocking, UNLESS I have missed it...that I can't do a search for a KEYWORD in Messages, but then actually be able to slide to delete! 🤯
So I have to send another text to that person, typically just a blank space, or I have to go on a treasure hunt for that specific thread down the long rabbit-hole of messages, or create a "new contact" long enough to find the actual message thread, to then be able to delete it, and then the contact.
How come I can't search for a keyboard in messages, then See All, then delete one by one there? Seems like a glaring but obvious feature that should have been implemented long ago.
Set up iCloud for Messages on all your devices
Learn how to set up iCloud and access your messages on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
support.apple.com
This archives messages to the cloud so they don't take up device storage space.
So you sync iphone to ipad? and the delete sync works?
Asking as mine does not. 12PM to IPP11
I generally go in weekly and cull out the crap threads.
Use iMazing to periodically back up messages then delete them if they are dead threads (conversation wise).
Wish we had an export all or copy all native in Messages. Would be so much easier.
Use iMazing to periodically back up messages then delete them if they are dead threads (conversation wise).
Wish we had an export all or copy all native in Messages. Would be so much easier.
All I want is for my stupid Apple Watch to mirror my iPhone when it comes to messages, when I delete a message on my iPhone it should automatically delete that message on my Apple Watch as well.
If you're going to call it mirroring messages, then mirror it properly. 🙄🤦♂️
If you're going to call it mirroring messages, then mirror it properly. 🙄🤦♂️
I have a few that I keep forever (wife, best friends, etc). I try to keep the others tidy.
Really excited that Apple has finally made it feasible to bulk-delete.
Really excited that Apple has finally made it feasible to bulk-delete.
There are a few threads I never delete. My wife, people I talk to every day. The rest I use like a TODO list. If somenoe texts me, it's because they need something. I leave it there till I'm done, then delete.
I don’t get people that want to keep messages forever. Why? Go back and reminisce about a text? I save the important images from iMessages and delete regularly. It’s almost like people want to hold something over others. Who cares what I said a year ago. Move on. I guess I’m in the minority on that.
Oh absolutely I delete basically everything. I don’t know why, it’s not like I have anything bad in my message threads, but I just delete everything.
I think it’s because I have an iPhone, iPad, and I used to have a MacBook, and I live in a house with other people, and sometimes they need to borrow something of mine, and the last thing that I need happening is them opening my messages app and finding all my older conversations.
I also used to hate how the Mac still indexed old conversations, because I would go and spotlight something and really old messages would pop up, which always made me uncomfortable
I think it’s because I have an iPhone, iPad, and I used to have a MacBook, and I live in a house with other people, and sometimes they need to borrow something of mine, and the last thing that I need happening is them opening my messages app and finding all my older conversations.
I also used to hate how the Mac still indexed old conversations, because I would go and spotlight something and really old messages would pop up, which always made me uncomfortable