I deleted thousands of SMS messages from my phone a few weeks ago, and they've all magically reappeared! I even cleared them from my recently deleted folder. I need to find a way to permanently delete these messages, especially since I want to keep some sentimental messages from my deceased mom. They're not iMessages, just regular SMS. I'm getting a new phone soon, and I don't want all these old messages transferring over. They should be gone from iCloud, but I don't want to lose those precious memories from years ago. Apple Support suggested turning off iCloud messages, deleting from the inbox and recently deleted, then turning it back on, but as my phone syncs, the messages are just coming back. They've arranged a call with me, but I'm not sure it will help.
2 Answers
It sounds like there might be a syncing issue with the SMS system. If the messages aren’t iMessages, they could be stuck in your backup, causing them to reappear after you sync. Have you checked if you have any old backups that might be causing this? Sometimes, those backups can restore messages you thought were gone for good.
I feel your pain! This is a common issue with SMS messages when iCloud is involved. Sometimes just a simple backup and restore can fix the syncing problem. If you haven't tried that yet, it might just do the trick!
I haven't tried that yet, but sounds like it's worth a shot. I just hope it doesn’t mess with my old messages!
That’s exactly what’s been happening to me! It’s so frustrating! I keep deleting, but they just come back.