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User profile for user: Amonymous86
Amonymous86 Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

How to Delete Messages in Spotlight Search History without Resetting or Syncing!!


I know there are a lot of individuals dealing with this issue and if you are like me you spend hours searching "how to delete messages in spotlight search history" and it seems like every post either says to reset your phone or sync it! I'm sorry but I did not want to go through the hassle of resetting my phone but I did try to sync it which did nothing so I decided to just mess around with my settings and I believe to have found the answer to everyone's question!!



This worked for me so I really hope this works for you! Just follow the steps below:



1. Go to <settings><general><spotlight search><uncheck messages>

2. Then turn your phone off and wait a minute! Turn your phone back on and off again 2 or 3 more times while waiting a minute in between turning it off!

3.After you are done doing that go back tostep 1 and <check messages>!

4.Now go to your spotlight search and those messages should be deleted! If they are deleted I would recommend going back to step 1and <uncheck messages> so you do not have the same problem with messages showing up again in the spotlight search!


It works for Mail too! Just follow the same steps listed above but uncheck mail instead of messages or do both at the same time!!


*Here is an extra tip which will remove deleted Mail Messages, just follow the steps below:



1.Go to <settings><mail, contacts, calendars><your mail account> scroll down and click <advanced> Now click <remove>under the title Deleted Messages and you can choose to have your mail removed After One Day, After One Week, After One Month or Never.



I hope this post was detailed enough and easy to understand!



I really hope it works for you like it did for me!



Good Luck!!! 🙂

iPhone 4

Posted on Feb 21, 2013 12:32 PM

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52 replies
User profile for user: Claire333
Claire333
User level: Level 1
4 points

Mar 18, 2013 11:19 AM in response to Amonymous86

I tried this fix and it does not work.


I have read that this is a problem for a long time - years. Me, personally, I do have emails and texts from the past that are private and were deleted, that I do not want my husband or daughter to read. Many people have this complaint and have had it a long time. Why does Apple not fix it?!?


Another privacy issue is the iMessage default settings on new devices. We bought a new iPhone for my college-age daughter and received all of her text messages until we noticed it and told her. We did a temporary fix. Then I got a new iPhone and the same thing happened. I had to set up iCloud accts. for each of us so that we each have privacy that cannot be tampered with. We still share our original iTunes account. Why did that have to happen?!?


We have been Apple consumers (laptops, iPads, iPods, iPhones) for over ten years (? longer w/just desk top) w/ the same account. These breaches in privacy are upsetting!! My point here is that these breaches are unacceptable! The spotlight search issue appears to be unresolved. FIX THIS APPLE!

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User profile for user: lee2002
lee2002
User level: Level 1
0 points

Mar 24, 2013 10:51 AM in response to Claire333

Claire333- what iphone are you using? I was able to delete by entering the key word, or contact name in the spotlight search and deleting it by hiting the little x to the right. I would repeat the process of entering the word then clicking the x until eventually it was not showing up. Sometimes it took only a few times, while other times it took multiple times. I think it might be related to the size of the cache. I had restored my phone to clear the cache completely and then i tried the above method again (i would test it by sending myself texts and deletling them) It seemed to work with only a few tries (which makes me think it was becasue the cache was not as large)

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How to Delete Messages in Spotlight Search History without Resetting or Syncing!!

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