How do I Clear Chat History in Signal

Messages despatched on messaging apps comparable to WhatsApp are likely to linger in your device indefinitely, except you manually delete them. Other than posing the technical downside of lowered storage, it additionally invitations the difficulty of different individuals snooping in in your messages.

It is at all times prudent to do away with them in case your roommates, colleagues, hackers, or regulation enforcement ever get entry to your cellphone and take a peek on the conversations that you simply’ve had. Periodically deleting your messages doesn’t simply keep issues neat and tidy, it additionally makes certain that nobody can get entry to the knowledge that you simply’re sharing with trusted events. 

If you’re on Signal Messenger, nevertheless, you don’t simply get the choice to clear chat historical past manually, but additionally to configure the app to delete older messages robotically. In this text, we check out how you are able to do so and be certain that the contents of your Signal dialog stay below wraps, regardless of the scenario.

: How do I Use Signal App: 12 Must-know Tips for Beginners

How do I Clear Chat History on Android

Clearing chat historical past on Android is kind of intuitive and simple. Let’s check out deleting messages, entire chats, and establishing automated message deletion. 

Clear Messages in a Single Chat Thread

Open the chat whose messages you wish to clear for good. Next, long-press the message you wish to delete till the toolbar seems simply above the message. But we’re more concerned about what’s occurring on the prime of the display screen, for right here is the place you can see the Delete choice (garbage can icon). 

If you wish to choose a number of messages for deletion, faucet on the bulleted-list choice.  

Next, choose the messages that you simply wish to delete and faucet on the Delete icon. 

If the recipient hasn’t but seen the message, you’ll get two choices – “Delete for Me” and “Delete for Everyone”.

If the recipient has learn the message, it’s possible you’ll solely get the “Delete for Me” choice. 

Once you select both one, the messages will likely be deleted eternally. 

Clear Complete Chat Threads 

You don’t must laboriously choose all of your messages one after the other if you wish to clear the entire chat historical past. You can simply delete the whole thread in a single go. To do that, go to Signal’s homepage the place all of your threads are listed. Long-press one of many threads to spotlight it. If you wish to delete a number of chat threads, faucet and choose them after you will have long-press one of many threads. Once you will have chosen the threads for deletion, faucet on the delete button to do away with them en masse. 

Clear Chat Messages Automatically

It could be onerous to recollect what you’ve written in these long-forgotten chats from the previous few weeks, not to mention months! But for those who’ve configured Signal to delete the messages for you after they’ve been in your device for a sure time, you then don’t must go attain back in time to find out which messages to delete. This characteristic retains issues easy and secure and could be arrange simply. 

Tap on the three vertical dots on the top-right nook of the display screen. 

Tap on Settings.

Tap on Storage.

On the subsequent display screen, you may trim down your message historical past in a few methods – Keep messages (deletes messages after a sure time), and Conversation size restrict (deletes older messages when your Signal message database reaches a sure quantity).

If you wish to guarantee your messages are deleted after a sure time, faucet on Keep Messages. You could have 4 choices – Forever (Default), 1 12 months, 6 months, and 30 days. We advocate you select the 30-days choice as it is a first rate period of time to your messages to be in your device. 

To have not more than a sure variety of messages in your device’s database, faucet on Conversation size restrict. By default, this will likely be set to ‘None’. You can select the dialog size restrict to be 5000, 1000, 500, or 100 messages.

Alternatively, you may also set a Custom restrict. Tap on it, and enter a quantity.

That would be the variety of messages that you should have at any given time in your device. When more messages are available in, older ones will get robotically deleted. 

Clear All Messages

If you wish to delete your whole chat historical past out of your device, you are able to do so with a single faucet as properly. Go back to the Storage menu, and faucet on the Clear message historical past choice. 

Signal will let you know that this may completely delete all message historical past and media out of your device. Tap on Delete and all of your chat historical past will filter. 

How do I Clear Chat History on iPhone

The Signal Messenger app for iPhone might not have a few of the superior options which are discovered on the Android app, comparable to clearing chat messages robotically, but it surely does have the fundamental choices to do it manually. 

Clear Messages in a Single Chat Thread

To delete a single message, go to the chat and long-press on the message till the toolbar seems. At the underside, you’ll see the delete choice (garbage can icon). Tap on it to delete the message. 

You will likely be offered with the ‘Delete for Me’ choice, and in some circumstances, the ‘Delete for Everyone’ choice as properly.

If you wish to delete a number of messages within the chat, after long-pressing a message, faucet on the bulleted-list choice. 

Now, choose all of the messages you wish to delete and press on the delete choice on the backside. 

Clear Complete Chat Thread

If you wish to delete a complete chat thread, go to Signal’s homepage the place all of your chat threads are listed. 

Left-swipe on a thread and faucet on Delete. 

And identical to that, your complete dialog with that contact will likely be deleted. 

Clear All Messages

You may also utterly delete your whole Signal messages in your device. To accomplish that, from Signal’s homepage, faucet in your initials on the top-left nook of the display screen. 

Tap on Privacy.

Scroll all the way in which to the underside and faucet on Clear Chat History. 

Tap on Delete Everything to just do that. 

How do I Clear Chat History on PC

If you’re using Signal Messenger app on PC however now wish to clear your chat historical past, right here’s how you are able to do so with just a few clicks. 

Clear Messages in a Single Chat Thread

Fire up the Signal app and open up your chat thread. On the appropriate, hover over the message you wish to delete and you will notice three dots seem next to the message. 

Click on it, and choose both ‘Delete message for me’ or ‘Delete message for everyone’ for those who get that choice. 

Your message will now be deleted. Do be aware that you simply don’t get the choice to pick a number of messages to delete on Signal’s PC app but. 

Clear Complete Chat Thread

To delete a chat thread utterly, click on on the chat thread within the left-pane. Then click on on the three-dot menu on the top-right nook. 

Click on Delete. 

Signal will verify with you if you wish to Permanently delete this dialog. Click ‘Delete’ to substantiate. 

What occurs if you clear chat historical past in Signal?

When you clear chat historical past in Signal, solely the chat database in your device will likely be deleted. Since a replica of the chat is saved domestically on all taking part units, deleting chat historical past in your device gained’t have any impression on the copy saved on the recipient’s device. 

However, for those who discover that you simply’ve despatched a message by mistake and wish to retract it inside three hours of sending it, you may delete the message and Signal will attempt to delete it from others’ units as properly. In some circumstances, it might not work, comparable to when the recipient’s device is turned off on the time of the request. 

Tip: Use Disappearing Messages

If you wish to bolster the privacy of your chats and have messages disappear after a set time period, you would possibly wish to check out the disappearing message characteristic. This characteristic is nice if you wish to share some delicate data with somebody and need it deleted quickly afterwards. However, do take be aware that the recipient might at all times take a screenshot of the message and keep it on their device, and you’ll haven’t any information of it. 

Regardless, right here’s how one can configure disappearing messages on Android, iPhone, and PC. 

On Android

Open a chat, and faucet on the three-dots menu on the top-right nook. 

Tap on Disappearing messages. 

You can select from various time choices, starting from 5 seconds to 1 week. Pick one and faucet OK.  

Now, your despatched and acquired messages will disappear after they’ve been in your device to your chosen time interval. 

On iPhone

Open a chat, and faucet on the contact’s title on the prime. 

Toggle on Disappearing Messages and regulate the slider to choose a time restrict. 

All despatched and acquired messages which have been in your cellphone for the chosen time will likely be deleted. 

On PC

Click on a chat, after which on the three-dot menu on the top-right nook.

Hover over Disappearing Messages and choose the time after which you need your messages to vanish robotically. 

And identical to that, you should have enabled Disappearing Messages to your chat. 

The safety features on Signal are already thought of the gold customary relating to instantaneous messenger providers. But one can by no means be too cautious with one’s non-public information. Clearing your chat historical past periodically ensures that even when somebody manages to pry their means into your device, they gained’t be capable to glean a lot. 

Have you tried clearing out your chat historical past but? Do you delete your messages manually or do you allow it as much as Signal to do it for you every now and then? Let us know within the feedback under.