iPhone 13 Pro Max showing unread messages, when there are none

I looked forever before I found something that actually worked. The only fix I found is to ask Siri "Read me my unread messages" she'll read out all of the lost/hidden messages that are still showing as unread. When she's done it will finally show zero unread messages.

What worked for me was to:

scroll down to the last message.

select a couple of messages and mark as unread.

then select all and read all.

badge cleared.

I was just on the phone with an Apple Support Rep and he gave me an answer that finally worked!

Say "Hey Siri, read my messages"

The badge count will be fixed once she dictates those mysterious messages.

Good luck!

Someone get Jorph a beer!

Go to message app

tap all message

scroll down until last message (wait for some time as it’s reload sone old message)

Tap on 3dot on top right corner(…)

and choose select message

Choose read all from bottom left

here you go badge count will zero

I’ve cracked it 🤘

Simply deep scroll your messages till the eternal end of messages. Then click “select messages” from “…” on top.

press read all and wait patiently. My 4076 msgs took approx 70secs to clear all.

This error usually happens when you import msgs from old device. Hit like if you find this useful

This was the easiest and quickest with no time wasted! Thanks a ton! 🙏😃✌️

Before trying this, I tried asking Siri to read all my messages, she started reading them one by one, but after reading almost every message, she kept asking “do you want to reply?” and I had to keep saying ‘no’ every time for Siri to go to read the next message! That was a time waste!

Quickest method;

Open message settings, turn on “filter unknown messages”

return to messages, open unknown senders, mark all & delete. Or keep those you’d like to keep.

That filter option makes things easier.

YESS!!! This actually worked! I have been trying to find a solution for this for probably almost a year now!!! A ton of messages got deleted before they were read and I always had 55 notifications. This actually worked! It was a huge pain in the *** to have to tell Siri no each message but well worth it to watch the notifications drop off one by one!!!

thank you so much for this!!

Hi there awallen44,

You'll want to start by making sure your iPhone is updated to the latest software version, which is iOS 16.4.1. You can see the currently installed version by going to Settings > General > About > Software Version. Learn more about updating your iPhone here if needed: Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

If your iPhone is updated and you're still seeing an incorrect number of badge notifications for Messages on your iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Messages, and turn off Badges. Afterwards, restart your iPhone using the steps you posted, and then turn on Badges again.

If the issue persists, let us know if you have any unread messages at all in the Messages app and make sure you've tapped on Filters in blue in the top left corner of the Messages app to ensure 'All Messages' are selected so that you can check for those unread messages.

Take care.

I'm also having this issue and the suggested workarounds didn't work for me.

While she reads them back you can ask her to skip to the next one to save time and potential emotional damage.

Thank you so much. I've been trying to clear one unread hidden message for weeks. Siri got it sorted. My OCD feels much better now too :-).

Only solution that actually works other than deleting all data on the phone. Had to repeat the process a few times and you have to say no when it asks if you want to reply. Excellent solution, Thank you very much. Now my OCD can rest assured there are no more 'unread' messages.

I just transfers from Android to Apple and took across all my text messages. The Google Pixel had a great feature where it would block spam message and did this very well. Now those spam messages are showing as unread, 155 of them! They are also not visible in my list anywhere, however Siri can find them.

I have iOS 17.1.1 and there is no "select all", "three dots" or anything mentioned below. There are very few options available to do anything in the Apple message app. Restart also didn't fix it.

So is my only choice to sit here for a hour or so saying "No" while Siri reads out every spam message I have received for the past 5 years? Surly there is a better way. Or do I just live with 155 unread messages for the next few years...