How to Permanently Delete Text Messages on Android Phone? 3 Options

There are two cases when you need to erase messages from your Android phone:

• The internal storage space is running low, and you have too many irrelevant messages.
• You plan to sell your phone or replace for a new one.

Anyway, to protect private data, you will have to permanently delete text messages from Android phone, especially those that contain your bank records and financial data, even if your phone still has space. Keep reading to find out how you can delete all texts from your Android phone.

You can learn all the methods from the video below:

Part 1. How to Permanently Delete Text Messages on Android Phone ?

As mentioned above, there are two main reasons that may force you to permanently delete the text messages and other files from your Android phone. One such reason is when you want to sell your phone.

The first thing you will need is a 3rd-party software that enables you to permanently delete your messages and other files from your Android device. MobiKin Eraser for Android (Windows/Mac) is a completely safe program with zero spyware, viruses, or adware. It scans and detects the Android phone data thoroughly and automatically.

Follow The Steps to Delete Text Messages from Android Phone Permanently

MobiKin Eraser will delete all text messages and other data from your Android device. Make sure that you have backed up your phone first. Then, you need to:

• Connect your Android phone to a PC via a USB cable.
• Enable USB debugging.
• Make the program detect your Android phone.
• Select and confirm the security level.
• Erase data and rewrite your phone.
• Perform a factory reset on your Android phone to clear the system data and settings.

For details:

Step 1. Connect your Android phone to PC

Launch the program on your Windows computer. Connect your Android phone to the PC via a USB cable. You need to allow USB debugging on your Android phone if it prompts; if it doesn't prompt, you can click this link to learn how to turn on USB debugging on your Android device.

 

Step 2. Make the program recognize your Android phone

You need to follow the on-screen prompts to make your Android phone be detected. Once done, you can see the primary interface as below. Click "Erase" and go on.

 

Step 3. Select and confirm the security level

Then you can see an interface as below to let you select a security level. You have to select one from the 3 options and type the word "delete" into the blank for confirming, then tap on "Erase" to start the scanning process.

 

If you choose "Low Level", the program will destroy the data and make it hardly can be recovered. If you choose "Medium Level", the program will overwrite your Android device one time, while it overwrites your Android phone 3 times under the "High Level" option. For deleting text messages, you are recommended to select "Medium Level".

 

Notice: If the text conversations involve your bank records or financial info, choose "High Level".

Step 4. Erase Android data and overwrite your phone

It will take a while for the program to scan your Android data; when finished, it will start to erase Android data automatically. After the erasure, the software will overwrite your Android phone based on your selected security level.

 

Step 5. Factory reset your Android phone

In order to clear the system data and settings, you are strongly recommended to factory reset your Android phone. Just follow the prompts to do that. Once done, click "Continue". All of the messages and other data are now removed from your Android phone permanently.

 

Video Guide:

Read Also:

• How to Retrieve Deleted Text Messages on OPPO? 4 Ingenious Ways

Part 2. How to Manually Delete Specific Text Message on Android Phone?

In our daily life, it is much more frequent to remove specific text conversations from our Android phones to remove spam messages or clean up our phones. However, in this way, the deleted SMS can be retrieved by professional Android data recovery tools, such as MobiKin Doctor for Android.

The delete button does not permanently erase the messages you are deleting. Instead, it makes the text messages disappear from the phone for you won't see them again. Therefore, you will not see them and they will not be removed permanently unless overwritten by new data.

Since it is really important to clear some junk files on an Android phone, we post the step tutorial in the following.

To remove specific SMS from an Android device, you need to (Notice that the menu items and buttons may differ among devices.):

#1. Delete Specific Conversations

• Open the Messages app.
• Select the conversations you want to remove.
• Click "Delete".

#2. Delete Texts from A Conversation

• Open the desired conversation.
• Long-press a piece of text you want to remove.
• >Tap on "Delete" to enter the edit mode.
• Tick on other texts.
• Click "Delete".

Part 3. How to Erase All Text Messages by Factory Reset?

Compared with manual deletion, the text messages and other files wiped with a factory reset have fewer chances to be recovered by Android recovery software. It only has a 50% success rate while the former is 100% recoverable.

If you plan to sell your Android phone, it is necessary to perform a factory reset on your device after making a deletion. The factory reset will not only erase Android files and all of your personal phone settings.

To do that, you need to (Notice that the menu items and buttons may differ among devices.):

• Go to the phone "Settings".
• Tap on the "General management" option.
• Choose "Reset".
• Tap on "Factory data reset".
• You can see a list of data types that will be removed; make sure you have backed up files.
• Tap on "RESET" to erase all of the text messages and other files from your Android phone.

See More:

• 12 Best Android SMS Managers You'd Better Know [Latest Review]

Before the Deletion: Back Up Your Android Phone

It's essential to back up your Android device whether you need to delete SMS forever or perform a factory reset. The best one-stop solution is to use MobiKin Assistant for Android (Win/Mac). It allows you to transfer your text messages, contacts, call logs, media, and other files selectively or completely. It saves your backups on the computer for easy accessibility.

The Key Features of MobiKin Assistant for Android

(1) Transfer SMS, contacts, call logs, photos, videos, audio, and apps from an Android phone to the computer.

(2) Completely transfer all the data from an Android to a computer.

(3) Back up & restore your Android phone with 1 click.

(4) Preview details (text conversations, call history, etc.) before selecting data.

(5) Over 8,000 Android phones are supported, including Samsung Galaxy (such as its newest Samsung Galaxy S26 series), OPPO, HUAWEI, Xiaomi, vivo, Motorola, and more.

Free download the software and give it a try for free.

Here's the main interface of MobiKin Assistant for Android:

FAQs for Permanently Deleting Text Messages from Android

Q1: Does factory reset erase all messages?

Yes, a factory reset removes all messages and other data, but advanced recovery tools may still find traces unless the phone is securely wiped.

Q2: Is deleting from the messaging app enough?

No, simple deletion may leave recoverable fragments. Secure deletion apps ensure complete removal.

Q3: What is USB debugging's role in deletion?

Enabling USB debugging allows secure eraser programs to access your phone more effectively during the deletion process.

Q4: Are deleted texts stored in Google backups?

If backups are enabled, deleted texts may still exist in Google Drive. To remove them permanently, delete the backup or disable syncing.

Q5: Can SIM cards store deleted messages?

Modern Android phones rarely store texts on SIM cards, but older devices may. Secure deletion ensures they are erased completely.

Q6: Is rooting required for secure deletion?

Rooting is not necessary for most secure eraser apps. However, some advanced tools may request root access for deeper cleaning.

Q7: What's the safest way to delete sensitive texts?

With the above information at hand, you are no longer going to worry about leaking out some of the private messages or worrying about your most sensitive files being recovered once you give out or sell your Android phone.

Please keep in mind that you can't permanently delete text messages by deleting them manually or just doing a factory reset on your Android . Only professional Android Data Eraser tools like MobiKin Eraser for Android can delete all text messages, including deleted messages forever.

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