Guide: How To Permanently Delete Messages on Android

If you have had the same phone for a while, you may notice that your messaging app is starting to slow down or is taking a long time to load. It may not seem like it, but text messages can take up a lot of storage up in your room as soon as they start adding up. Older phones even required text messages to be regularly deleted due to lack of storage, but the rise of smartphones has made storage an afterthought especially when it comes to text messages. There are plenty of reasons to hang on to old text messages, but for some of us, it may be time to let go of the past. ..

Deleting messages on Android isn’t difficult, but it can be unclear how to delete any message on your phone all at once without factory resetting the device. We’ll cover each method below, from deleting threads to clearing entire libraries of messages on Android. These methods may differ depending on your make and model phone, as well as the version of the software you are using. To keep it simple, we use the standard Android Messages SMS app created by Google for Android; it is available for free here on Google Play. If you’re using a different text messaging app, be it Samsung’s default text messaging app, Verizon’s Messages, Textra, or any other app available on the Play Store, you should check your app’s settings to find similar solutions. ..

With all that said, let’s get to work. ..

Delete individual messages

Deleting individual messages from a thread is the easiest way to remove them from your conversation. This way, you can keep your messages private while still scrolling through them. ..

To delete a message:

  1. Open the message thread. If you are viewing a message in your inbox, tap and hold on the message to open the message thread. If you are viewing a message in your sent box, tap and hold on the message to open the conversation.
  2. Scroll through the messages until you find the one you want to delete. Tap and hold on the text of the message you want to delete, and then release it. The text will mark itself as deleted.
  3. An action bar will appear at the top of the screen, with an option to trash or archive (delete) the selected message. To trash (delete) the selected message, tap and hold on the trash can icon in top right corner of action bar and release it. ..

Android Messages does not allow multiple messages to be deleted at the same time in a thread, although it is possible to select multiple messages in a thread for deletion in other text messaging apps. ..

Delete messaging threads

When it comes to deleting entire conversations, it would take hours, if not longer, to delete messages one by one depending on how many texts are on your phone. Deleting old, unused threads (think old group messages and other unimportant or outdated conversations) is a great middle ground between deleting every message on your phone, and don’t delete anything. It helps keep your text messaging app clean and free from non-important threads, while at the same time preserving the messages you have received from close friends or family members.

To delete a thread, touch and hold the thread you want to delete from the main messages menu. A check mark will appear above the photo icon for your SMS thread and another action bar will appear at the top of the screen. When you use Android Messages, you have three options for erasing messages: archive, which hides the messages from your main message screen but doesn’t erase them; deletion, which erases them from your device; and clear chat history, which removes all of your chat history, including any messages that have been deleted. ..

Android Messages allows you to select multiple threads to delete and archive. Once you’ve tapped and held on a single thread, just tap on other threads (no hold required) to delete them as well. The same check mark will highlight the additional thread and you can delete or archive your threads.

Limit your messages and delete them automatically

If you have a lot of messages on your phone, it can be a hassle to selectively delete message threads one by one. Instead, we’ll delete all of your messages at once - which unfortunately Android Messages doesn’t do. So for now, we’re focusing on Textra, one of our favorite third-party messaging applications. ..

Textra is a messaging app that has many of the same features as Android Messages, but also has a lot of customization options and settings not available through the Android Messages app. Once you install Textra from the Google Play Store, you can start using it by opening the app and clicking on the three-dot menu button in the top right corner of your screen. ..

To delete all messages in a conversation, select “Messages to keep” and set the limit at 25 or 2.

Unfortunately, there is no “Delete all messages” button on your phone to erase everything without your entire phone’s memory through a factory reset. None of the options listed above are perfect; deleting individual messages takes way too much time, deleting message threads is a bit cumbersome, and limiting the number of messages will help in the future, but won’t delete every message you’ve sent or received so far. That is precisely why we recommend setting a message limit in Textra and deleting conversations and threads if you see fit; if you use both, you can’t just use your phone of messages clean in one fell swoop, but your phone of building up another huge message cache. ..

Android Messages is the default messaging app on Android, but it’s not the only one. There are dozens of different messaging apps to choose from, each with its own method of saving and deleting messages. If you want to keep your messages safe and secure, it can be difficult to keep track of which app to use for which purpose. Android Messages is the default messaging app on Android, but it’s not the only one. There are dozens of different messaging apps to choose from, each with its own method of saving and deleting messages. If you want to keep your messages safe and secure, it can be difficult to keep track of which app to use for which purpose. If you need help with a specific texting app, let us know in the comments below! ..

How To Permanently Delete Messages on Android: benefits

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Final note

This guide is for Android users who want to permanently delete messages on their device. If you have any questions about this article, please don’t hesitate to ask us. Additionally, please share your love by sharing this article with your friends.

If you have any questions about how to permanently delete messages on Android, please ask us in the comments below or contact us directly. This guide is for educational purposes only. If you want to correct any misinformation about this guide, please contact us. If you want to add an alternate method to the guide, please contact us. Our contact page is here for any help you may need. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates. We answer questions within 24-48 hours (weekend off). ..