iOS 5: deleting Completed Reminders list

I figured it out. I am able to access my reminders in iCloud. I right clicked on the completed Reminders screen, and pressed Select All. Then, I held down my delete button and they all were deleted, one by one. Thanks!

There's another way to batch delete completed. If you're using a Mac w/Mountain Lion, in the Reminders app, click on the date line at the top of a completedlist. you can then use command click, shift click, etc. to select some or all of the completed reminders. Then hit Delete. Gone.

My issue is similar, and after reading the thread, I have done the "quick fix" solution, but I feel like my issue is actually some sort of bug.

Originally, I had the same problem of seeing all these completed tasks on my iPad with no easy one-click delete-all option. But I discovered that if I deleted the List they were originally created in, this automatically clears the Completed as well. I probably don't use my Reminders as everyone else does, but this work-around works for me, as I typically make one-time lists that I don't add new things to later on.

At some point I decided it would be a good idea to synch my Reminders to iCloud because... well, why not? I only have the iPad and my desktop. But I could find it handy at some point down the road.

But then I noticed something odd. Old Lists were reappearing, sometimes with previously Completed items showing as incomplete. I tried deleting them again while not connected to the internet, thinking perhaps it was some iCloud synch problem (similar to the Address Book problem where one must reinstall the address book to get iCloud to synch all devices correctly). But the lists returned as soon as I linked back up. So then I tried going in through iCloud.com and deleting the lists that way. Seconds after removing the lists, they reappear! Then I tried a careful maneuver consisting of simultaneously deleting the lists on my iPad and iCloud at the same time. And they still same back!!!

Frustrated, I came to the internets to poke around and see if anyone else has had this problem. Not quite, it seems, but I thought I'd point it out.

Simply removing the iCloud synch option on my iPad for Reminders has fixed the issue. I suppose if I want to resynch, I could, but it seems like an awful silly thing to have to turn off the iCloud synch every time you want to permanantly delete a List. on your iPad without having it irritatingly reappear in a few seconds.

Has anyone else had this similar issue?

Not sure if this may be relavent for anyone but if you use a Mac as well as an iPhone, in the Reminders App on the Mac you can go into the list and just select all as you would any other file. (Click the Top Item, scroll down to the very bottom, hold shift and click the bottom item, this selects them all, then just press the delete button) Poof all gone. I know some of you have made complaints about you should'nt need another device to do this but not everything can be perfect.

This is a solution for your Reminders on your Mac. Within the completed list, just press CMD + A (This will select all of the reminders) then simply press Backspace and they are then all gone.

Hi jopilkie,

Thanks for that super fast and easy way to batch delete reminders on your Mac. Still holding out for a way to do this on my iPhone and iPad as having to go to my Mac - thank goodness I have a "regular" computer :-) - is a bit tedious.

Now that Scott Forestall has been fired and Johnny Ive is in charge of iOS perhaps we'll see a more user friendly approach to iOS, which will hopefully include batch deletion of Reminders, E-Mails, etc.

For those who are up to it, sending feedback to Apple requesting this enhanced functionality in iOS is really not a waste of time. It can work if Apple gets enough feedback. They do not read these discussions forums. They are for us users to share ideas, problems, and solutions...not for Apple to comb through looking for possible areas of attention. Although, maybe they should do a little of that!

Here is the link to the feeback site:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Again, thanks a lot jopilkie! 🙂

jopilkie wrote:

This is a solution for your Reminders on your Mac. Within the completed list, just press CMD + A (This will select all of the reminders) then simply press Backspace and they are then all gone.

As noted upthread, this is a fine solution for anyone running a newer OS. But 10.6 doesn't have Reminders. But it doesn't hurt to have that tip here for people who do.

I'm still running 10.6 and iOS 5.1.1 because I've seen too many threads about upgrade nightmares like 10.8 halving battery time in 2009 MBPs (my model) and iOS 6 slowing iPod Touch G4s (making them even slower than 5.1.1!).

SOLVED!!

I have just gotten off the phone with Apple Support and TOGETHER WE DID IT!! We deleted all of my completed reminders back to 2011 on all devices! Follow these steps for a guaranteed positive result! Fewf.. had to share I'm so relieved!

1. Sign in to icloud ON YOUR MAC COMPUTER (sorry, if you don't use icloud no clue how to help ya!)

2. Click on Reminders

3. DO NOT click on the "completed" reminder section but GO TO EACH LIST and waaay up at the top you will see "245 completed" or however many you have (I had a gazillion).

4. Hit CLEAR ALL button

5. Do this for each separate list (I only had three lists so was super quick).

6. SIGN OUT OF ICLOUD

7. Sign back in to icloud

8. **IF YOU HAVE HUNDREDS OF COMPLETED REMINDERS this will take a few cycles of the above instructions.. signing in and out and 'CLEARING ALL' .... we discovered that the system can't handle deleting all at once. Ex: mine went from 456 Completed reminders ... down to 256 completed reminders... down to 40 completed reminders.. down to 0 completed reminders! Takes just a few cycles.

Then everything will sync to your iphone, ipad ect and 0 COMPLETED REMINDERS!! WAHOOO! HAZZAH!! 🙂

Sharon

How is that "solved", Sharon, when the question was how to do it on iPhone? We are all well aware of how to do it on a computer...

Yes yes.. but when you do this on your computer then it automatically syncs to your iphone via icloud.

I suppose if you have to have something that works direcly from your phone, you're right. However, I was extatic to hear that any old time I am sitting at my computer (at least every day!) I can do this.. whenever. Every day, once a week, month, whenever!.. and bam! it then is sync'ed with my phone and ipad.. that's super easy. I no longer wish to find a solution where I can 'bulk delete' them on my phone.. Yeah when it happens fine, but so easy this way!! 🙂

On my case I don't want to delete completed reminder but rather archive it but unfortunately when you "clear" or "delete" the reminder then it is forever gone. But it is annoying to see the completed reminder on my main lists.

What I did is create another folder "Completed Task", everytime I finished a reminder I just move it ther rather than marking it completed so it won't show up on my main list.

Cheers 🙂

With iOS 7 beta 2 now out I thought things may have changed with regard to our problem. So, I posted a question on the web site AppAdvice about not being able to bulk delete completed reminders from within your iDevice.

This is the response I received from one of their writers who is running iOS 7 beta 2 on her iPhone:

"Yes! You can now delete completed lists. I just deleted 92 items at once!! 🙂"

Looks like Apple did take notice of us and others. Maybe that feedback did help! Can't wait for the fall when iOS 7 is released.

Hi,

Sorry for bringing this issue back to life after a while...

I just want to say that the issue still exists!

For the list of items there is an Edit button which makes it possible to delete only task by task, not what we here expect (selecting many and then pressing Delete just once). 😠 What a shi**y usability team there!

Sorry sschase (Sharon), but that doesn't solve the original issue I posted. The issue is trying to delete multiple completed items at one time using your iPhone. This is still an issue with OS7. The items in each list must be deleted one by one.

This new situation is very disturbing. (i.e. no bulk delete capability). If you scan a couple posts above, I mentioned that I had obtained information that in one of the early betas of iOS 7 bulk deleting FROM WITHIN your iDevice was NOW possible. The information actually came from Robin Rhys who is a writer for the web site "AppAdvice." Reputable. Why would Apple remove this functionality???!!!

Here's the post if you don't want to bother searching for it.

With iOS 7 beta 2 now out I thought things may have changed with regard to our problem. So, I posted a question on the web site AppAdvice about not being able to bulk delete completed reminders from within your iDevice.

This is the response I received from one of their writers who is running iOS 7 beta 2 on her iPhone:

"Yes! You can now delete completed lists. I just deleted 92 items at once!! 🙂"

Looks like Apple did take notice of us and others. Maybe that feedback did help! Can't wait for the fall when iOS 7 is released.