How do I get rid of saved messages on iOS7?

Firstly you DO NOT have to do a factory reset / wipe device, it is simply not required to get the space back!!

Mine had 3GB and I just got rid of it all, here is how:

METHOD ONE:

1. Make a backup in iTunes
2. open iBackupBot (Google it)
3. Go to the relevant backup
4. Click on Multimedia File Manager and click on the other Multimedia files tab
5. Sort by filename by clicking the Filename tab
6. Find MediaDomain/Library/SMS/Attachments and highlight all of them, then press delete. You can also click to export to a folder of your choice, if you want to save them that is.
7. Then go to System Files>MediaDomain>Library>SMS>Attachments
8. They will be all listed here, highlight them all and press delete
9. Then just restore that backup using iTunes!

Tadaa! Space recovered, your messages are still there but without the attachments! METHOD TWO:

1. Backup your device in iTunes and then to iCloud
2. Go to Settings>iCloud and toggle Documents & Data to OFF
3. Then do a 2nd backup to iTunes and iCloud
4. Then restore the device from iCloud and the message attachments should be gone, turn Documents & Data back on again in the settings

PLEASE NOTE: Method two is a much longer process but some users may feel more comfortable with this method.

P.S You may want to make two backups in case you get any of the above steps wrong, but it is simple to follow the above and not do anything wrong!

P.P.S You could also just go through every single conversation and delete the attachments one by one, but if you have hundreds or thousands of attachments, this will take a VERY LONG TIME!!!

Here is a solution that worked perferctly for me and freed up 5GB(!) of space on my iPhone 5 with iOS7:

1. Back up your iPhone to iTunes.
2. Use something like iBackupBot or similar to delete everything in the following folders:
   1. HomeDomain/Library/SMS and
   2. MediaDomain/Library/SMS
3. Restore your iPhone from backup (in iTunes click on "Restore Backup..."). What happens is that the edited backup (without the messages) will restore.
4. Make sure you make a copy of the backup before you do this in case something fails with the backup editor.

Disclaimer - It worked for me but I take no responsibilty for this solution - do it at your own risk.

Lucerova you are a legend dude

How to fix it:

1. 1. Select Settings > General > Spotlight Search
2. 2. Un-Check Messages in the Spotlight Search
3. 3. Delete all text messages that show in the Messages app
4. 4. Open the multi-tasking bar by double tapping on the Home button
5. 5. Close ALL running applications
6. 6. Restart your phone

*You may have to repeat this process multiple times depending on how much storage yourMessages app is currently using. In Settings > General > Usage, You may only see the mb or gb drop by a few hundred mb each time (don't panic). You need to continue repeating this process until the Messages app is only utilizing 20mb or less. --If you get stuck and you still have a significant amount of data used by Messages and noMessages to delete, Simply backup and restore your device at this point to empty the remaining caches and allow you to permanently remove the remaining data.

**Also be sure to re-enable Messages in your Spotlight Search. Select Settings > General > Spotlight Search

Preventative Tip:

Always ensure to clean out your Messages often, as well as restarting your device often. iOS has self maintaining functions that only run on startup. As long as you don't allow your message threads to over-populate after extended time periods, you will not need to repeat these steps.

Enjoy

I repeated this three times and it emptied my text cache which freed up 3 gig of space.

(with each time of doing the process it emptied a large part of the stored text data)

This is by far the quickest and easiest way to free the space I personally found I tried Nick's way but ran into the problem as most will that my phone is so full due to having loads of photos and videos that I want to keep that it wouldn't let me restore as it kept saying I haven't got enough space on my phone.

The above technique worked for me on the third go it did delete all my current texts but its worth it for 3 gig of space

Thanks again Lucerova

P.S still think apple should sort this out as my emails is also doing the same thing and i cant delete them

It may take you more than three times is you have more stored texts I think its just like dpryan12 answer but it does it straight away just remember to do a hard reset by holding on/off button and home screen for a couple of seconds (wont loose photos of anything just texts)

For the New People who haven't seen it!

Firstly you DO NOT have to do a factory reset / wipe device, it is simply not required to get the space back!!

Mine had 3GB and I just got rid of it all, here is how:

METHOD ONE:

1. Make a backup in iTunes
2. open iBackupBot (Google it)
3. Go to the relevant backup
4. Click on Multimedia File Manager and click on the other Multimedia files tab
5. Sort by filename by clicking the Filename tab
6. Find MediaDomain/Library/SMS/Attachments and highlight all of them, then press delete. You can also click to export to a folder of your choice, if you want to save them that is.
7. Then go to System Files>MediaDomain>Library>SMS>Attachments
8. They will be all listed here, highlight them all and press delete
9. Then just restore that backup using iTunes!

Tadaa! Space recovered, your messages are still there but without the attachments! METHOD TWO:

1. Backup your device in iTunes and then to iCloud
2. Go to Settings>iCloud and toggle Documents & Data to OFF
3. Then do a 2nd backup to iTunes and iCloud
4. Then restore the device from iCloud and the message attachments should be gone, turn Documents & Data back on again in the settings

PLEASE NOTE: Method two is a much longer process but some users may feel more comfortable with this method.

P.S You may want to make two backups in case you get any of the above steps wrong, but it is simple to follow the above and not do anything wrong!

P.P.S You could also just go through every single conversation and delete the attachments one by one, but if you have hundreds or thousands of attachments, this will take a VERY LONG TIME!!!

Simple. On the top left corner of your message screen you will see 'Edit'. Tap. You will see red buttons on your left margin with a 'minus' sign. Select the messages you want to delete and tap "Done' on top left. Bingo! They will all disappear. It is the same as you had on iOS 6 on your iPhone 5. Enjoy iOS 7.

I'm having this exact issue. After deleting messages, remaining messages will only have the latest entry versus the whole thread, and take a few seconds to open. A restart will restore all messages that were deleted, including the entire thread of saved messages, and the delay is gone.

***?

Ditto here too. My wife's iPhone 4s has 11.1GB of Messages (saved) that is totally consuming her available space. Brutal. We need to permanantly delete them. She has 327 pictures and can't fit anymore because of the dumb saved messages (now called "Documents & Data" instead of "Other").

I have an iPhone 4 and have 1400 pics and some "other", but her's should not be this full. It's a problem. Hoping someone will give a real solution here. I've "restored" hers twice, but use the backup that still has the problem because she doesn't want to have to re-enter all her contacts, etc

??

If that's the case, why is it my iPads and wife's iPhone 5 are not experiencing the same issue? It's only localized to my device...maybe a trip to the Genius Bar is in order for them to completely wipe at the hardware level and reinstall.

Yes...

I reset my phone (General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings) and "Set up as a new iPhone". I'll try it that way for 24 hours to determine whether it is something in the software, hardware, or messages themselves. All my stuff is synced to my iCloud/MBP, so not a major issue for me.

I've generated multiple text/iMessage conversations with about 20 people in an attempt to duplicate the issue, and so far, it has not recurred...

Looks like my phone is fixed...almost 24 hours later and none of the issues I previously experienced are present.

If you have texts that you want to save, back up the 3 messages databases with iFunBox prior to reset...