Is there a way to delete multiple or all messages at a time?
Unfortunately, at this point, there isn't.
For the time being, you're left with one of two options, each which delete only one message at a time:
1) tap the EDIT button then use the minus+confirm DELETE
2) swipe your finger across the subject/teaser of the message you want to erase and confirm DELETE
UPDATE: Mail and Messages now both have a multiple delete feature (firmware 3.0 and later). While looking at your Mail inbox or SMS messages from a contact, you'll notice an "Edit" button in the upper right hand corner of the screen. To select multiple messages touch Edit then choose the messages using the circle toggles on the left side of the screen.
Newest iPhone FAQs
At the bottom of the screen, in Messages you can choose "Delete" or "Forward" while in Mail you have the choice to "Delete" or "Move" the selected messages.
UPDATE: The process for deleting multiple texts in Messages has changed in iOS 7. Click here for the updated instructions on how to delete multiple messages.
Comments
Team Louish replied on Permalink
You can if you configure your account as an IMAP account then on your PC mark all messages as read or delete them all. I wrote an article on how to do this. This work for all Gmail Accounts, Google Apps for your domain, etc..
http://www.louish.com/2007/08/
Chad Shmukler replied on Permalink
Of course you can do it from your PC, but not FROM the iPhone.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
how?
Danny Keng replied on Permalink
There is not doubt that you can delete messages from iOS , but the simple deleting is not enought far, i means that you need a iOS data eraser software to do that , it is capable of deleting contacts videos ,photos,text messages and other data from iPhone ,iPod,iPad ,i did it with this eraser tool
http://bit.ly/2n8Yqzi
Anonymous replied on Permalink
It is hard to believe that a company such as Apple, who spends so much time delivering great products, screws up on something as basic as e-mail. However, they have managed to do it. By not providing a method to delete multiple e-mails, Apple has introduced the most inferior e-mail client to date. Apple, please correct this most grevious oversight (To be honest, it is hard to beleive this is an oversight. If deliberate, it makes me wonder why it was left out).
Anonymous replied on Permalink
You can delete multiple emails on iPhone.
Open your email, go into inbox or trash, whatever you want to delete. Select one email, hold down the mark" button at the bottom of screen. Then deselect the email and let go the Mark" button. Select all as read. Do the same thing but instead of holding down mark", hold down the Move" button. Then select trash". Poof! They're gone!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
That worked ... for about 2min. They all came back to my Inbox. Why?
Anonymous replied on Permalink
It did it to me too! Then I went on my computer and deleted all of the messages from the email server and tried again. This time it worked. What a PITA!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
There is absolutely no excuse for this, but thats apple. They are a half-assed, but slick-looking, high priced option that is lacking on the software side, and always has since they gave up making their own OS core and adopted the BSD, offering little praise to the people who made BSD, and therefore their success possible.
To add to the slap in the face of Open Source community, I had to pay $4.99 for my iphone (not jailbroken) OpenSSH client which is a core, free feature of any BSD operating system. Way to bite the hand that feeds you...sheesh.
Tim
Tims a fag replied on Permalink
for anyone that got confused by tim's stupidity let me clear things up. In a nutshell, he basically said, "i am a giant douche-bag and i need to get out more instead of bitching about random shit that clearly no one cares about.."
So we conclude by saying, Tim is a fag.
Anonymous Coward replied on Permalink
Bravo!!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Wow, homophobic a bit are we?
Brunson replied on Permalink
If I called you a pussy would you say I'm vajiphobic?
Lori replied on Permalink
I can not get the delete to work either only temporarily. They come back eventually -in box mail. Also why are people talking so rude to each other? How very sad.
Deb replied on Permalink
I know, why the nastiest on here? People are only trying to help and problem solve these things.
Tim may be a fa... replied on Permalink
Tim may be a fag but he's right
I'm not sure how your childish playground name calling adds to the discussion but the bottom line is Tim's right. I have to use this shitty email client everyday. It's ridiculous that Jobs can't make this thing work properly. They must be too busy developing yet another iPod that will pollute landfills worldwide in 2 years time.
Apple is a joke and only sheep use that shit!
Lachlan replied on Permalink
We all know apple is not the greatest, but if you people hate apple so much, why be on an iPhone website? If u don't like the product simply ignore it! I personally don't like nintendo wii's, I find them lacking in hardcore gaming functionality, but I don't go onto Ilovewii.com and say bad things about it! (BTW dnt google that you get some kinky stuff!) if you don't like apple, don't go on an apple support website! Thank you
~ Lachlan
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Lachlan or Lalchan or whatever!!!
What would you do if your daughter gets kicked from her school? wont you visit something like school councelor or school support?
after spending a hefty dollars in the shitty iPhone, if you have a problem, whose ass you kick? yours? or Jobs'?
by the way, Jobs already dead, else i would like to kill him twice for the shit called iPhone he left in the world...
Anonymous replied on Permalink
So mean and rude are some comments especially over trivial things. Aren't there more important things in life than all of this??
iamkarenhillAno... replied on Permalink
NOW for the guy that thinks tim is the devil for expressing a legitimate complaint. We are on the website because a sector of their ingenious product is grossly unsatisfactory. Let Tim speak. This phone is too darned high and the data package to boot makes this bull crap we're dealing with pretty darned PATHETIC of Apple. As soon as I find a better phone PEACE..I'M OUTTIE
Bob s replied on Permalink
I am the Apple customer. Or I was. Supplier, and that is all they are or will ever be better serve their customer or slide off to oblivion like most copanies who don't get business. To be told they are protecting little stupid me from myself when I decide to delete unwanted emails is an insult and Samsung gets it so I am tail lights for Timmy and the insipid nerdies. Bye! For me you shit the bed right after the Apple Three which I ran a three office company with. Keep getting it wrong and your bogus stock will be $20 soon.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
People have to waste their time on the iPhone website because trying to find a solution for a such primitive function like to delete the group of email messages. Is there any device in the world, beside the iPhone, where you can't check / uncheck all messages. It 's just pathetic. And if would be a site shytdotcom with a solution than I would be there too... Instead of suing Samsung at least had to buy their solution, plus their option what period you want to upload the messages when adding an email account on the phone. That only can be difficult for the people with the same mentality who are asking why are you on the iPhone website.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Yeah, of course there are no other email clients for IOS than the one Apple suplies. Absolutely not. Promise. Except there are.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Was calling him a "fag" make it any better then his mistake. You made yourself look like an idiot, and now hundreds of people can see and laugh at your idiocy. Dont bully people online, and yes, that was a form of bullying.. Do better.
You didnt give us any additional information on how to fix the problem at hand, simply argued.. why?
Shawn Kregan replied on Permalink
I HAVE just changed from a Nokia X6 to an i phone 3g.
On Nokia to solve this problem we click " delete all messages" jeez that was hard aye, its ridiculous to think an i phone has not an option that phones had like 5 years ago!.
I have to say after years of using Nokias and being Nokia loyal ( which i still am) i decided to try out the enemies gadget.
I kept and open mind but i was disappointed i find Apple i phones comparably far more restricted and controlled compared to the much more functional open Nokia Phones.
It seems many small should be simple tasks are turned into headaches on i phones due to Apples control freak policies.
Seriously, can you believe a company thats once flagship phone has not a delete all message button?
Apple always puts its own selfish interests before millions of consumers, examples being, not allowing flash to be displayed ( i cant open my email account coz of this ) , restricting Bluetooth , not allowing open usb transfer mode , making batteries a nightmare to replace, and non standard connection ports.
Im sorry Nokia has been making phones for donkeys years now , and i think they simply know how to make a ""phone""" to function as a phone better.
Love you Nokia!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Apple deliberately doesn't provide a "delete all" option because the product is designed for technical zeroes, so they have to protect users from the users own actions. You'll find this is a consistent theme with Apple products. For example, you can delete an email account, but all the emails for that account that were stored on the phone -are STILL stored on the phone. You just can't access them anymore. This is incomprehensible to experienced computer users who take it for granted that any operating system allows you to open a directory you own, and delete your files -unless you recall that Apple wants to protect us from ourselves.
Entirely their right, and many people are happy with that. Some of us are stuck with the product our managers specify for the team -Apple- and so we take solitude in knowing at least we aren't paying for it. (iphones are preferred due to free texting among iphones.)
Apple won't change. These messages can serve as a warning to people looking to buy a phone for themselves.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
This Works for Me with PoP 3:
1. go to your PoP account and move all inbox messages to another folder (if you have web mail access to your inbox)
2. on iPhone, delete your PoP account (Settings/Mail, Contacts,Calendar, , delete button)
3. recreate PoP account (Settings/Mail,Contacts,Calendar, Add Account...)
Inbox should be clear of old mail.
Cheers....
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Here is the quick and esay fix to delete all emails: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m2w9NZq5Ho
Anonymous replied on Permalink
It doesn't seem to work on my iPad 2.
S i N N E R M A... replied on Permalink
i have seen most screwd fone on this earth... i have 3gs,, i wanted to delete all sms as well as data..
it took 2 days,,,, they these engineers do not provide basic options to delete all contacts and smses... evn latest itunes 10.2 software doesnt provide that options
apple is good,,,, but blackberry , sony , nokia e series is better....nokia it supports,, zip,pdf, card scanner, poster reader,, quick backup restore,, etc
apart synchronising is so easy ,, evn 2 year old kid can do that..... cheers to e72,,,,
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