IOS – How to delete old messages on the iPhone to free up space (NOT the whole message thread)

iosiphonemessagesstorage

My iPhone is getting real low on space. I know the Messages app is taking up lots of space and I want to clear some of it.

I looked and it only allows me to delete EVERYTHING from a message thread.

How can I just delete just some of the messages, not all messages?

Surely I can delete messages that are really old or large messages with photos or videos, but I checked everywhere and can’t find how to do this.

I’ve also tried clicking on the info symbol at the top of a message thread. This lets me view images and attachments, but I can’t delete any of them. I tried tapping on them or 3d touching them, but there's no delete option anywhere.

I'm using an iPhone 6s running the latest iOS 11.

Best Answer

You can do exactly what you want as follows:

  1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
  2. Wait a little while as the screen starts populating with data for each of your apps
  3. Within the list that appears, tap on the Messages icon
  4. Now you’ll be presented with a number of options for saving storage space
  5. Select one or more of those options (see below)

Options

  • Enabling Auto Delete Old Conversations will automatically delete all messages (and their content, incl. photos etc) that were sent or received over 12 months ago
  • Tapping on Review Large Attachments will allow you to view all attachments. You can also swipe left to delete them. Likewise, you can tap on the Edit option at top left of screen to select multiple attachments to delete.
  • You can actually choose to delete individual items by reviewing them within the Documents & Data section at the bottom of the screen. This allows you to review Conversations, Photos, Videos, GIFs, Stickers and other items (e.g. tapping on Photos will allow you to review and/or delete each one individually).
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