With messages in iCloud, does deleting a conversation delete all of its history?

RickDaniel wrote:

Historically, preferences specifically allowed you to save messages forever and not delete those messages when conversations were closed.

At least on the iPhone, the preference to keep messages forever meant the phone would not automatically delete them after a specified time. But, if you deleted them, they were gone. The Mac has a preference that will allow you to keep messages even if you close the conversation. That never existed on the iPhone.

I may be the only one, but I want that behavior back where a closed conversation does NOT delete all message history with that contact unless I do so explicitly. I should be given an option though because sometimes you want that. To overcome the behavior, I should not be forced to display all conversations forever in the app if I want saved message history.

Well, people have been complaining for years that, when they deleted messages on on device, they had to go and delete them from all of the others. So, based on Apple's changes, I'd guess you're in a minority. You can let Apple know what you'd like to see here:

Product Feedback - Apple

And, you can still have that behavior back if you turn off iCloud syncing for Messages. Do that and everything will be the way it was before.

If you use iCloud syncing for Messages, it does just that. It syncs your messages across all of your devices. You delete the message on one, it deletes them on all messages. That is intended behavior. If you want your messages stored as part of your iCloud back up, you will need to turn off syncing. If you want to retain the history on one device even if you delete on another, you'll need to turn off syncing.

Keep all your messages in iCloud - Apple Support

RickDaniel wrote:

The documents cited by singh49asda do explain how to use the feature but still fall a bit short of "clear documentation" for a technically challenged person like me. A couple of more sentences in the link about the Mac client would have alerted me had I found it.

I think you should absolutely submit that feedback to Apple. The people who write the documentation already understand how it works so, sometimes, they miss things that people who don't have their experience could really use.

Best of luck.

If this is changed behaviour, it seems clearly documented here >>>. Keep all your messages in iCloud - Apple Support

and >>> Use Messages on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

and >>> Use Messages with your Mac - Apple Support

I dont want more Mail Frode you i have fix my trubel OK

Thank you so mutch

Sendt fra min Trude Synnøve sin iPhone 8 pluss

27. sep. 2018 kl. 15:45 skrev Apple Support Communities <discussions-updates@apple.com>:

Apple Support Communities

RickDaniel has posted in the iCloud on my Mac community.

With messages in iCloud, does deleting a conversation delete all of its history?

I think I do understand how it works after a little testing (and accidental destruction of message threads I wanted to keep).

Vocabulary is important here, so let me carefully restate my point for what it is worth. A conversation is a collection of historical messages. I am not talking about deleting messages, but closing conversations in the app. Historically, preferences specifically allowed you to save messages forever and not delete those messages when conversations were closed. Several forum posts and experience remind us that when you next text that same recipient (after having closed that conversation), the historical messages reappeared as the conversation becomes active again after being previously closed. I've been doing that seemingly forever to keep the messages app cleaned up.

When I turned on Messages in iCloud with the promise of better device to device continuity, I was surprised by what I saw as a counterintuitive inconsistency. The same "x" clicked in the same app in the same way now results in a destructive difference in behavior where the message history is deleted across the ecosystem.

I may be the only one, but I want that behavior back where a closed conversation does NOT delete all message history with that contact unless I do so explicitly. I should be given an option though because sometimes you want that. To overcome the behavior, I should not be forced to display all conversations forever in the app if I want saved message history.

If I can't have that then I would recommend:

Add some strong hints about the changed behavior in the app when iCloud messages is selected. If you turn on messages in iCloud you should not be surprised as I was.

Give me a strong warning that you are deleting all message history for that contact in addition to closing the conversation.

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