If you’ve ever sent a message on your iPhone and later wished you could take it back, you’re not alone. Whether it was a typo, an embarrassing message, or just something you didn’t mean to send, the idea of being able to delete messages after they’ve been sent is appealing. But can you really delete iMessages from both your iPhone and the recipient’s device? In this guide, we’ll explore how to manage your sent messages and whether it’s possible to delete them from both sides.
When it comes to deleting messages on iPhone, the answer is a little more complicated than you might expect. Apple offers various options for deleting messages from your own device, but deleting them from the recipient’s iPhone is a different story.
While Apple has made it easier to delete messages on your iPhone with recent updates, there are limitations on what can be done once a message has been delivered. For example, in iMessage conversations, you can delete messages from your own device, but once the recipient has seen the message, you can’t remove it from their phone. However, if you’re using iOS 16 or later, Apple has introduced a feature that allows you to “unsend” a message within a certain time frame.
Let’s dive into the details and see how to delete messages on iPhone from both sides.
If you’re running iOS 16 or later, you can unsend an iMessage within 2 minutes of sending it. Here’s how to delete iMessages for everyone involved:
Keep in mind that this option only works if the recipient has not yet read the message and the message is still within the two-minute window. After that, you won’t be able to undo the send action.
Sometimes, instead of just deleting a single message, you might want to remove entire message threads from your iPhone. Here’s how:
This action will remove the conversation from your phone, but it will not affect the other person’s device.
If you don’t want to delete an entire conversation but just need to remove a specific text, here’s what you need to do:
This method only deletes the selected message from your device and does not affect the recipient’s phone.
If you have several message threads that you want to delete in one go, here’s how:
Again, these threads will only be deleted from your iPhone, and the recipient’s iPhone will not be affected.
While it would be nice to have the power to delete messages from someone else’s device, Apple does not allow this for privacy and security reasons. Once you’ve sent a message and it has been delivered, you can’t delete it from the recipient’s iPhone.
However, if you’re looking for a way to “unsend” messages, Apple’s unsend feature (available on iOS 16 and later) can help—provided the message is still within the 2-minute window and the recipient hasn’t seen it yet. After that window closes, there’s no way to remove the message from their device.
It’s also worth mentioning that, if you’ve sent a message to the wrong person or accidentally shared sensitive information, you can try contacting them directly and asking them to delete the message from their device. But that depends on their willingness to cooperate!
While Apple’s iOS offers several ways to manage your messages, there are some limitations to consider. You can delete messages from your own device easily, and with iOS 16, you can even unsend iMessages within two minutes. However, once the message has been read or the time window has passed, you can’t delete it from the recipient’s phone.
It’s always a good idea to be cautious before sending messages, especially if they’re important or sensitive. Fortunately, the new unsend feature on iOS 16 gives you some flexibility, but it’s not a foolproof method for deleting messages from both sides.
No, once the recipient has read your message, you can no longer delete it from their device. The only exception is the unsend feature in iOS 16, which only works within a 2-minute window.
You have up to 2 minutes after sending the message to use the “Undo Send” feature on iOS 16 or later.
No, deleting a message from your iPhone will not affect the message on the recipient’s device. They will still have the message unless they delete it on their end.
Yes, you can delete multiple threads by tapping “Edit” in the Messages app and selecting the threads you want to remove.
To delete a thread completely, swipe left on the conversation in the Messages app and tap “Delete.” This will remove the conversation from your device.
