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iOS 11.3 - Delete Message Confirmation

The newest iOS 11.3 update enables a feature that asks if you're sure you want to delete a text message/iMessage once you choose the delete option. It's making me crazy! I tried searching through the settings to remove this deletion confirmation, but can't find anything on the topic. Is there any way to remove this feature?

iPhone 7 Plus, iOS 11.2.6, iOS 11.3

Posted on Feb 21, 2018 7:22 AM

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Posted on Mar 30, 2018 4:12 PM

Adding my 2 cents! I HATE IT!!! I posted same question here and was told to report to apple. My suggestion to the apple eggheads was to add in settings under messaging a CHOICE to enable or disable this so-called enhancement. Here’s the link to voice your disgust.


https://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

894 replies

Mar 30, 2018 6:58 AM in response to jessicaborrini

Just spent 45 minutes of chipper chat with the support guy probably named Chip who was sooooo anxious to help me fix this, then elevated it to senior tech, making me hope that somehow it was a bug. Until he merrily told me it was a New Feature! And No, you can't turn it off!


Shoulda come here first, but then who would I rant about. I hate this. Went from ONE swipe to three interactions: Swipe, then tap delete, then confirm. A higher up with zero usability experience at Apple must have accidentally deleted a text and demanded a fix.


Horrendous usability. At least give users a choice.

Apr 9, 2018 12:13 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

I do as well Lawrence. One would think based on the feedback from some of us, it might make a little bit of sense why Apple "FINALLY" added this feature. But since they don't like it, it's simply awful and it must be changed because they command so. It doesn't matter if it may benefit others. And really how difficult is it to acknowledge you actually want to delete a message? In the scheme of things, does a tiny extra step really ruin their lives? I've posted this before, but for those who simply can't handle change, this is the phone they should own:


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Apr 10, 2018 2:34 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Tell that to the steady stream of people who have posted over the past 10 years that they accidentally deleted an important message thread.

To help strengthen Lawrence's point... Witness the irony.


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2 submissions at the same time, with subject lines 180 degrees from each other.


The top is bemoaning Apple changing a feature, and the bottom seemingly proving said change is needed by some.


To all who are myopically complaining about this change, please accept there are other people in the world.


As Spock famously said... "the needs of the many..."


Send Apple your feedback. Not us.


Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://apple.com/feedback

May 2, 2018 7:25 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

Okay, this is very easy. Having NO option to how this works is the bad UI design. All I, and probably most, are asking for is a simple option to turn this off. This is no different than what has existed in the Mac Finder for decades. "Show warning before emptying the Trash." (see below)

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In iOS, this would be a slider button that says "ask before deleting" or something similar. I'm not perfect, but when I go through the actual motion of swiping left with the intention of deleting, I usually know what I am doing.


The fact that Apple has changed the way this interaction works, with the thousands of muscle memory motions that millions of people have developed in dealing with this, is the great frustration. Getting this change, unexpected as it is, makes most educated users go looking for an option to turn it off so it will work like we expect/desire. Having no option is what is so frustrating. Apple, in their ever-overloardy way, most often seems to think they know best. It seems that the bigger they get, the more often they get it wrong. You can see this in the complaints of people (like myself) who have been using their products since the original Macintosh and see how the 'ease of use' has become the frustration of tap and peck to figure out how to use things. Tons of features, useful features, aren't clearly documented or explained. We now have to "google" how to use our multi-100 or 1000 $ devices because there are no manuals or user guides. And even when we know how to do that, we run into UI choices like this that cause great consternation. So fine, people can disagree, but I don't know how one can disagree that the option to turn off this "feature" is beneficial.

May 3, 2018 4:47 PM in response to ericole

you are a crazy person to voice your opinion here or to complain.

Now you are proving you make up facts to further your childish ranting.


I *defy* you to find anybody here calling anybody else crazy. Go ahead.


You wore out your credibility long ago.

Most everyone else that finds this threat hates the change and merely wants one thing - for Apple to provide an option to turn it off so it will work the way it did before. 😉

And as has been said to you in the plainest English possible.... that can't and won't happen here.


Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://apple.com/feedback

Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://apple.com/feedback

Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://apple.com/feedback


How is your continued bleating about this helpful?

How do any of your contributions meet the standards for the community?

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You agreed to the terms and condition in order to post. Apple Support Communities Use Agreement


The original question was a technical one. "Is there a way to remove this feature?"


The technical and correct answer is no.


Everything else is futile. There is nothing remotely constructive about "me too". Or saying please 133 times. Or continuing to moan about usability.

May 12, 2018 8:01 PM in response to Painfull

I too want to have a voice.

Apple prefers you voice your feedback to the location shown below.


Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://apple.com/feedback


They may listen to you as a customer, if you do it correctly. Not here.


fyi... here is how Apple describes what this community, not forum, is for, as agreed to by you when you signed in.

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Apple Support Communities Use Agreement


They will not debate decisions here. Your contribution was not constructive criticism as also agreed to by you.

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Apr 3, 2018 4:34 PM in response to jessicaborrini

Do you have any idea how many threads are started daily here by people who accidentally deleted a message? It's staggering and this I'm sure is to help people who don't really want to delete a message by making them confirm it before it's gone. I'd wager this is not going to disappear anytime soon and honestly as someone who is here daily helping other users with deleted messaged, I'm glad Apple did this.


For any of you piping in with Apple You Need To Fix This, Apple isn't here and posting such a request won't get you anything. This is a user to user only forum. If you don't like this, the ONLY way to have your voice heard (though it's highly unlikely Apple will change this one) is to provide input via this link: Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Apr 8, 2018 1:06 PM in response to zl9600

Let's see if I can shed some light:


1. When you delete an email message you do confirm you want to delete and even then the email is held in a trash bin for complete deletion, again making sure you fully wanted to delete said email message. When you delete a text message, it's gone, unless you have a backup with the message and even then requires you to restore your phone from the that backup, deleting anything else you've put on your phone since that backup was made.


2. Notes are also stored in the cloud (you can confirm by going to www.icloud.com) but messages are not, so again, one has a way of getting a note back, but not a text message.


As to your suggestion to have a toggle option, I would have no issue with that. But you're arguing with users on a user to user ONLY forum. You're not speaking with Apple and Apple isn't paying diddly squat to your post here.


Arguing here is a point in futility. You are as welcome to let Apple know you don't like this as I was to thank them (yes I did thank them) for adding this by providing input via this link: Feedback - iPhone - Apple

iOS 11.3 - Delete Message Confirmation

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