Saved messages problem in iOS 7

Why it happens:

This is an issue with corrupted data, however, it is more of a user created problem than it is an iOS problem... Sorry... Allow me to explain.

Anytime you store data for long periods of time in an application that accesses that data often, you run the risk of having that data become corrupted. --Delete your message threads often.

How to fix it:

1. Select Settings > General > Spotlight Search

2. Un-Check Messages in the Spotlight Search

3. Delete all text messages that show in the Messages app

4. Open the multi-tasking bar by double tapping on the Home button

5. Close ALL running applications

6. Restart your phone

*You may have to repeat this process multiple times depending on how much storage your Messages 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 no Messages 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'm sorry, but I can't possibly agree with you... Where in the users manual does it say the you have to reboot your phone regularly?

Where in the users manual does it say to delete all your messages regularly? This would be the only software or phone that requires you to delete your texts regularly. Some people like to keep their messages saved. This is NOT a user created problem, if it is, this would be one of the worst user experiences ever.

The fact that you have to go thru a process to gain the storage you paid for, is a major failure.

Before wasting your time posting uneducated rubbish online, remember that you are under no obligation to follow these "tips" anymore than you are under any obligation to change the oil on your car. The decisions you make in life are always your choice and you will experience the consequences of those decisions wether good or bad.

Some people need help fixing things and therefor will post on sites such as these, some will offer their assistance and expertise and others who simply have too much time on their hands will post useless garbage which only clutters up the useful information others truly need making it more difficult to find.

So thank you for your input.

Thanks for this info. I tried doing everything, but when I came to step 9, iTunes told me I don't have enough space to do a backup. Not sure why it is saying that. Would you have any thoughts as to why? Thanks, again

Hi JawkneeD,

This warning is most likely an iCloud warning if your back ups are set to save to iCloud. I can't really give you much advise without knowing the number of devices you have backed up to this account. You should still be able to manually back up to your computer via iTunes. Just disregard the message about the lack of storage and on the summary screen in iTunes with your device connected, click back up now.

Hope this helps!

Nick has the fix!!!!!!! Thank god!!!!!!!

Someone clear this up, please... Nick's final step - "9.Then just restore that backup using iTunes!"

When he says 'restore "THAT" backup', does that mean iBackupBot makes a new backup after removing the data and that's what we restore from? Because it doesn't make sense to restore from the initial backup he asks us to create on the 1st step. Unless I'm missing something...

Thanks for any help.

Disregard my previous post - sorry. Nick's fix does work for sure... try it out y'all. The key is really patience.

Lucerova you are a legend dude

How to fix it:

1. 1. Select Settings > General > Spotlight Search
2. 2. Un-Check Messagesin 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 Homebutton
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 noMessagesto 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

Hi,

I tried the steps that your quoted from Lucerova.

I started with 4.6 GB of Messages (Saved) so I did the following:

• Unchecked Messages in the Spotlight Search
• Deleted all the texts in the messages App (By Holding down a message> Tapping More> Tapping Delete All >Then deleting the whole thread/conversation after it was blank.
• Opened the Multi-tasking bar and closed all my running apps.
• Restarted my iphone.

Once my phone rebooted, I went back to settings and I still have 4.6 GB of Messages (Saved).

So I checked Messages in the Spotlight Search>Closed the Settings App> Opened the settings app once again> and repeated the steps mentioned above.

I did this about 4 times. I still have 4.6 GB of Messages (Saved)

Is there one of these steps I should do differently? Thanks in advance. 😕

Hey mate sorry it hasn't worked straight away, did you do a reset ( holding on/off button and home button for a few seconds) or just turn your phone off? I think i did both. give both a try. It took me three goes

Mate before you try the process sync your phone with i tunes on your computer as I tried Ibackupbot thing before this technique but couldn't get it to work and had my phone connected to i tunes so my phone had synced might be the missing link.

if theses don't help get back to me and ill go through the whole process again and figure what i did to make it work.

Cheers kurt

mate also every time I tried the process I went in the usage ( in settings) to see if it changed and I noticed on the secound time it went down to 1.5 gig so I knew it was working.

Cheers Kurt

Yes mate 100% the above way works

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5345138?start=75&tstart=0

Click on the link takes you to another apple discussion I've posted on that one as well as it's took me ages to sort it out so I have posted it on all apple threads on this topic to help out.

It won't let me put a screen shot on this forum but I have freed 2.1 gig of space using the above technique and have no trapped data in saved text messages.

Mate just click the above link let me know if you still can't sort it

Cheers kurt

Sorry my last post was meant to be for another thread

I have just figured out how to delete your email cache aswell.

I'm not sure if people have had the same problem as me but I noticed that a large part of my storage was been taken up. When you go into settings / general/ usage it was showing that 3 gig was being used in saved text and 2.5 gig in saved emails. You soon find out that it's crap and you can't access this data and appears trapped.

1. My above posts about getting the storage back from texts defenatly works

However I still wasn't happy with the 2.5 gig stuck in deleted emails so I have found a solution and got the space back from my emails too.

2. When I went into my sent emails even though I had deleted them all it said at the bottom there was 935 unread emails and in spot search you can still see my old emails I had sent months ago but you can't access them.

I have a hotmail account so this what I will use for my example. Basically make sure you uncheck mail and texts in spot search then delete you email account in settings/ mail.

Don't worry as all your emails you want to keep are still in the hotmail main server as your phone is only an access point to see your emails (for hotmail anyway) so reinstall your email on your phone in settings/ mail and you can upload your emails back from your inbox.

I now have 5.5 gig of space back an can install some of my apps and not worry about taking pics

From what I have read on all of these forums it seems that if your like me you like sending pictures via text and emal over a period of time they back up and seem to get trapped in the phone memory and apple havnt figured how to delete the back log.

Cheers Kurt