It used to be simple to delete text messages from your iPhone (or, I suppose, your iPad if you use iMessages), but with iOS 7, the cute little Edit button has gone away from the upper right corner. Instead, there’s a Contact button up there, which–while useful–used up the space where the Edit button used to be.
You can still delete entire message conversations by swiping to the left in the list of all your text messages, but how do you delete specific messages within a conversation? Swiping to the left just shows you the timestamps of the messages.
Never fear, we’ve got the answer.
When you’re in a text conversation, denoted by having a contact name at the top, and all the messages are from that contact or group, tap and hold on any one message bubble. You’ll get a pop-up menu that has two options: Copy, and More…
Choose More… and you’ll get a little blue circle to the left of all your messages. The one you originally tapped on will have a filled in circle with a white checkmark in the middle of it. Tap on all the other messages you want to trash, and then hit the trashcan icon in the lower left corner of the screen. Tap the Delete Message button that slides up from the bottom, and you’re good to go.
Coincidently, you can also send the selected messages to a contact as a message, which means this new method has a dual purpose. Just hit the little share arrow in the lower right corner, and you’ll be able to send the selected message (or image, or link) to any contact as a New Message. Slick.
Related use guide: How to delete iPhone SMS permanently
