A Telegram message refers to any form of communication content sent and received through the Telegram app. Users can share text messages, photos, videos, and other media files with each other via this platform.
Telegram messages can be sent to individual users or groups and may include various types of content, such as text and media. Additionally, users can make voice and video calls and share location information via Telegram. Known for its fast and secure messaging features, Telegram is available across multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers.
What Are the Advantages of Deleting Messages on Telegram?
Telegram’s message deletion feature offers several key benefits:
- Privacy: You can easily remove messages sent by mistake or those you later regret from your chat history.
- Organization: Over time, old messages can clutter your chats. Deleting messages helps you keep conversations tidy and find information faster.
- Security: Removing messages containing sensitive information prevents them from falling into the wrong hands, enhancing your security.
- Performance: Deleting old messages can free up storage space on your device and improve its speed.
It’s important to note that even if you delete messages from your device, they may still be visible to the recipient if they haven’t deleted them on their end.
How Are Message Histories Stored on Telegram?
If you’ve recently switched to Telegram from another messaging app, it’s essential to understand how Telegram stores your chat history and how you can delete it.
Telegram primarily has two types of chats: regular cloud chats and secret chats. Cloud chats include one-on-one conversations, group chats, and public channels. Messages in these chats are stored in the cloud, allowing seamless use of Telegram across different devices, and your chat history can be easily downloaded. Telegram states that cloud chats are protected by encryption keys stored in various data centers.
However, if you want to eliminate any possibility of your messages being decrypted, you should use secret chats instead of cloud chats. Secret chats are end-to-end encrypted and are not uploaded to Telegram’s servers.
How to Delete Messages from Telegram’s Cloud?
To prevent your messages from being stored in the cloud, you can delete them from a chat and all linked devices. It’s possible to delete both messages you’ve sent and those you’ve received. To delete messages from a Telegram chat, follow these steps:
- Open the Telegram app and tap on the chat containing the messages you want to delete.
- Press and hold the message you wish to remove.
- From the menu that appears, select Delete.
- You’ll be given the option to delete the message only for yourself or for both sides. Choose your preferred option.
- Finally, tap Delete again to confirm the action.
Once these steps are completed, the messages will be deleted from your device only or from both your and the recipient’s devices, depending on your selection. This process also ensures the messages are removed from Telegram’s servers.
If your chat involves more than two people, you can delete messages you’ve sent from all participants’ devices. However, there’s a time limit for this action—the message must have been sent at least 48 hours prior. After 48 hours, you can only delete the message from your own device. In this case, the messages will remain on other users’ devices and Telegram’s servers.
How to Delete Secret Telegram Messages?
For fully private communication, using secret chats instead of cloud chats on Telegram is more suitable. To start a secret chat with a user, go to their profile in Telegram, tap the three-dot icon in the top-right corner, and select Start Secret Chat from the menu.
On iOS devices, pressing and holding a message won’t open a menu. Instead, swipe the message to the left to reveal the Delete option. Tap it to delete the message either for yourself or for both sides.
How to Automatically Delete Telegram Messages?
Telegram includes a feature that lets you set messages to delete automatically after a certain period. To enable this, follow these steps:
- Open the relevant chat in Telegram.
- On Android: Tap the three-dot menu (More) in the top-right corner, then select Clear History, followed by Auto-Delete Messages in This Chat.
- On iOS: Press and hold any message in the chat, tap Select, then choose Clear Chat and Enable Auto-Delete.
- After these steps, select how long messages should remain before being deleted. Options include 24 hours, 7 days, or 1 month.
Once set, your messages will automatically delete after the chosen duration.
How to Delete All Messages on Telegram?
It’s also possible to remove all your Telegram messages at once. To do this:
- Open Telegram and tap the trash bin icon at the top of the main screen.
- A prompt will ask whether you want to delete messages only for yourself or for both sides. Selecting the second option will permanently erase messages from all your devices and Telegram’s servers.
How to Permanently Delete Telegram Messages on iPhone?
If you want to permanently delete Telegram messages from your iPhone, you may consider using a third-party tool. The FoneDog iPhone Cleaner app, designed for this purpose, offers a “Erase All Data” feature that instantly and permanently removes everything from your device. This tool allows you to delete Telegram messages from both your iPhone and Telegram’s servers irreversibly. You can also selectively delete specific files if preferred. FoneDog iPhone Cleaner also provides additional features like data recovery, backup, and transfer between devices.
To permanently delete Telegram messages from your iPhone using FoneDog iPhone Cleaner:
- Download, install, and open FoneDog iPhone Cleaner on your computer. Connect your iPhone via USB.
- If prompted on your iPhone to “Trust This Computer,” tap Trust.
- Click Quick Scan in the app to view your device’s general information.
- To permanently delete Telegram messages, go to Erase Private Data in the left menu. You’ll have two options: One-Click Erasure and Custom Erasure.
- Selecting One-Click Erasure will scan and delete all private data with a single click. Ensure you’ve backed up important data beforehand.
- Choosing Custom Erasure lets you select Telegram messages and other specific files to delete. After selecting, click Erase.
Once completed, the selected Telegram messages will be permanently deleted from your iPhone and Telegram’s servers.
How to Delete Channel Messages on Telegram?
If you’re an admin of a Telegram channel or have message deletion privileges, removing messages is straightforward:
- Open Telegram and navigate to your channel.
- Find the message you want to delete and press and hold it.
- From the menu, tap Delete.
- Confirm the action by tapping Delete again in the prompt.
The selected message will then be removed from the channel.
Additionally, some Telegram channels may have the “Discussion” feature enabled. When active, channel messages are automatically forwarded to a linked discussion group. If you’re having trouble deleting channel messages, go to the channel settings, locate the “Discussion” option, and disable it. This will make deleting channel messages easier.
Self-Destructing Messages Feature on Telegram
Telegram’s “Self-Destructing Messages” feature allows messages to automatically delete after a set time. This feature is exclusive to Secret Chats, ensuring no trace remains after deletion.
To use this feature:
- Open Telegram and tap the New Message icon in the top-left corner.
- Select New Secret Chat from the menu.
- Choose the person you want to chat with from the list and tap OK.
- In the secret chat window, you can set how long messages should last before deletion. Tap the profile name at the top of the chat.
- On the profile page, find and tap Self-Destructing Messages.
- Select how long messages should remain before deletion (options range from 1 second to 1 week).
- Once set, all messages will automatically delete after the chosen duration.