Deleting text messages from my Watch

[Annie_M]

My sister and I were just discussing a couple of things about deleting text messages from our Apple Watches. From what I have been able to find by searching around various sites, it's not been possible to do this in previous versions of WatchOS. But since watchOS 12, I'm wondering if:

1. Is there any way that we can set it up so that when we delete a text message from our iPhone, that the same text message is deleted from our Watch?
2. Is there any way to delete all text messages at once from our Watch? It's such a nuisance to have to delete them one at a time.

 

[Tartarus]

My sister and I were just discussing a couple of things about deleting text messages from our Apple Watches. From what I have been able to find by searching around various sites, it's not been possible to do this in previous versions of WatchOS. But since watchOS 12, I'm wondering if:

1. Is there any way that we can set it up so that when we delete a text message from our iPhone, that the same text message is deleted from our Watch?
2. Is there any way to delete all text messages at once from our Watch? It's such a nuisance to have to delete them one at a time.

I just deleted a whole thread in iMessage on my phone and saw it disappear from my watch as well.
I then went into a thread and deleted a single text from there and saw that disappear too.

To answer your second question, this is as of yet still not possible.

 

[Annie_M]

I just deleted a whole thread in iMessage on my phone and saw it disappear from my watch as well.
I then went into a thread and deleted a single text from there and saw that disappear too.

To answer your second question, this is as of yet still not possible.

Thanks for your quick answer! So in regards to my first question, when you delete messages from your iPhone, and wish them to also be deleted from your Watch at the same time, you should go to the Watch app on your phone>Messages>and tap Mirror my iPhone?

 

[Tartarus]

Thanks for your quick answer! So in regards to my first question, when you delete messages from your iPhone, and wish them to also be deleted from your Watch at the same time, you should go to the Watch app on your phone>Messages>and tap Mirror my iPhone?

That setting in the Watch app on the iPhone only applies to notifications as far as I can tell.

 

[doogald]

No, we need iMessage in iCloud for watchOS before deletion syncing will be a thing. (It was supposed to come at some point on watchOS 4, but got pulled from one of the updates, and is still not in watchOS 5.)

 

[Tartarus]

No, we need iMessage in iCloud for watchOS before deletion syncing will be a thing. (It was supposed to come at some point on watchOS 4, but got pulled from one of the updates, and is still not in watchOS 5.)

It works for me though.
Messages deleted on my iPhone also disappear from the watch.

 

[doogald]

It works for me though.
Messages deleted on my iPhone also disappear from the watch.

I just deleted a couple of entire threads of conversation from my iPhone (swipe left from the list of conversations and hit delete.) They are still on the watch. I also deleted some individual text messages; they are still on the watch. (These were all SMS messages threads, though, not iMessage.)

I just tried with an iMessage - and, yes, it deleted from the watch. But it doesn't seem to sync SMS deletions.

 

[Tartarus]

I just deleted a couple of entire threads of conversation from my iPhone (swipe left from the list of conversations and hit delete.) They are still on the watch. I also deleted some individual text messages; they are still on the watch. (These were all SMS messages threads, though, not iMessage.)

I just tried with an iMessage - and, yes, it deleted from the watch. But it doesn't seem to sync SMS deletions.

I don’t get any SMS messages at all, I have being in Europe to thank for that. All my friends and family use WhatsApp for that.
I only use iMessage with people I know from iMore.