Does deleting a conversation from Messages on my iPhone also delete it from Messages on my computer, if they are linked via iCloud?

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Does deleting a conversation from Messages on my iPhone also delete it from Messages on my computer, if they are linked via iCloud?

My son accidentally deleted years’ worth of SMS conversations with my daughter from my phone. I still have a backup on my laptop, in the Messages app. If I connect my laptop to the internet, will syncing with my phone delete the messages? My Messages app on my laptop is set to keep messages “Forever”.

I would also appreciate any help restoring the deleted messages, e.g. from my laptop, but I do not expect this to be possible.

My iPhone is an iPhone 6 running iOS 11.4 (15F79). My laptop is a 2011 MacBook Pro running macOS 10.13 High Sierra. The version of Messages running on it is 11.0 (5500). Both my iPhone and the Messages app on my laptop are linked to the Apple ID I’m using to make this post.

iPhone 6

Posted on Jan 3, 2019 3:39 PM

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Answer 1

Eric Root

Level 10

685,341 points

Jan 3, 2019 8:47 PM in response to Sichelgaita

You are welcome. To prevent them from being deleted, you need to stop syncing Messages using iCloud.

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Answer 2

Sichelgaita Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 3, 2019 5:47 PM in response to Eric Root

Thank you for your reply! Is there a way to prevent them from being deleted? Ideally, I'd like to upload the messages from my laptop to iCloud.

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Answer 3

Eric Root

Level 10

685,341 points

Jan 3, 2019 5:17 PM in response to Sichelgaita

If you are syncing Messages using iCloud, if you delete it from one device/computer, it is deleted from all devices/computers.

Messages in iCloud are updated automatically, so you always have the same view everywhere you use iMessage. When you delete a message, photo, or conversation on one device, it’s removed from all of your devices. And since all of your attachments are stored in iCloud, you can save space on your device.

Messages in iCloud

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Does deleting a conversation from Messages on my iPhone also delete it from Messages on my computer, if they are linked via iCloud?

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