Instant Messaging is one of the main communication methods used by modern people. For iOS users the obvious choice of IM client is Apple’s Messages that can automatically switch between regular operator SMS and Internet-based IM.
Looking at how addicted we are to sharing everything everywhere, and how easy it is to do that with today’s technology, we can bloat Messages with pictures and videos in no time. For storage-conscious iOS users, here are several ways to delete those storage hogs.
One By One … Seriously?
The correct way to keep your iOS device’s storage free is to clear unwanted Message attachments at the moment you receive them. That way they won’t have the chance to eat up the available space.
To do that:
Open “Messages.”
Choose a conversation.
Tap and hold the image/video and choose “More” from the pop-up menu.
With the item selected, tap the “Trash” icon at the bottom left.
Confirm the action.
Theoretically, you can use this method to delete multiple attachments at once, but you have to scroll far to hunt for the old ones. You can, however, select nearby attachments to remove them in one go.
In Bulk, Per Conversation
But if you’ve stacked up tons of attachments already, you can delete them in bulk. To do that:
Tap “Details” at the top right corner of the screen.
Scroll down to find all the attachments for the conversation.
Tap and hold an attachment, and choose “More” from the pop-up menu.
Select the other attachments, and tap “Trash” at the bottom right of the screen.
Confirm the action.
This second method is faster. However, you will delete those attachments out of context, so take precautions.
On the Mac, with a Little Help from the Mouse
If you connect your iOS device to your Mac via Continuity, you can send and receive messages from your Mac using the desktop version of Messages. But this means that attachments from the messages you receive on your Mac will also be saved there.
You can clean up these attachments if you want to. The steps to remove them are more or less the same as with those on iOS:
Open “Messages.”
Click “Details” at the top right of the window.
Scroll down to the attachments, and “Shift + Select” to choose multiple items.
Right click on the items and choose “Delete.”
Confirm the action.
Customize Auto Delete
To maintain your Messages within a manageable size, you can set your iOS device to delete messages automatically after a set period. To customize this behaviour, you have to dig a little into Settings.
Open “Settings -> Messages.”
Scroll down a little bit to “Message History,” and tap Keep Messages.
Choose one of these three options: “30 Days,” “1 Year,” and “Forever.”
But please remember, this options is to auto delete the messages and not just the attachments. If you consider your message history worth keeping, do not enable the auto delete.
There are also options for Audio and Video Messages. You can keep them from expiring for two minutes or thirty days. Please note that this option does not apply to video and audio attachments.
You can override these auto-delete settings for video messages. Anytime you receive a video message you will see a “Keep” option in the message. If you tap it, the message will not be deleted forever.
Do you keep your Messages clean? What is your favourite Messages tips? Share them using the comment below.
Image credit: Peronimo
Jeffry Thurana is a creative writer living in Indonesia. He helps other writers and freelancers to earn more from their crafts. He’s on a quest of learning the art of storytelling, believing that how you tell a story is as important as the story itself. He is also an architect and a designer, and loves traveling and playing classical guitar.
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