How to Delete Pictures From Text Messages on Android

Ever since Android 6.0, you can send and receive photos, audio files, videos, and GIFs on messages over MMS. But the functions of the default messaging app are not that familiar to the users. For example, deleting images. So, how to delete pictures from text messages on Android?

You can delete pictures from text messages on Android by long-pressing the image and selecting the delete option. However, the image will only be deleted on your end. And even if you delete the picture from your messaging app, it will still be visible on the sender’s phone.

The thing is, Android default messaging and iMessage app on iOS devices do not work in the same manner. A text or image on an Android message will be sent via SMS or MMS. On the other hand, iMessage utilizes WiFi or cellular data for handling texts and attachments.

How Do I Delete a Picture in a Text Message?

As mentioned earlier, deleting a picture in a text message on Android is easy. You just need to go through these simple steps:

• Open the messaging app.
• Click on the message you want to delete the picture from.
• Locate the image.
• Press and hold on to the picture.
• From the options menu, click delete.
• Press confirm to delete the picture from the text message.

How Do I Delete Sent Received Photos?

You can’t permanently delete the sent received photos on the Android messaging app. However, it’s possible to delete the photo from your phone’s app. To do so, all you need to do is press and hold the image and then click on delete.

This deleting action will remove the image from your end. But you can’t permanently delete the picture after being sent via MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). The picture will still be visible on the receiver’s phone.

That said, if you have received an image and you want to permanently delete it from your phone, here are the steps you need to follow:

• Open the messaging app on your Android phone.
• Click on the message where the picture is.
• Press and hold onto the image.
• Delete the picture from the options.
• Go to your gallery.
• Find the picture you want to delete.
• Press options and delete it.

After this, the image you received through the message will be permanently deleted from your phone.

Why Can’t You Permanently Delete Sent Images and Texts From Android Message?

Deleting the picture or text from your Android phone’s messaging app will only remove it from your phone. If the text or image has been delivered, it will be on the recipient’s phone unless they manually delete it. But why?

You need to understand that the default messaging app and iMessage or any other messaging applications do not work in the same manner. The default messaging app utilizes SMS (Short Messaging Service) or MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) for the text or picture you have sent.

Once the file or text has been instructed to be delivered, it’s out of your hands. It does not matter if you delete it from your phone; the text or image will be there on the recipient’s end. It works on the cellular network instead of WiFI or cellular data.

On the other hand, iMessage and other messaging apps have a dedicated undo or unsend function. As these apps work on the internet instead of a cellular network, they can ensure that your unsent pictures or text gets deleted on both ends. Of course, both phones need to be connected to the internet for permanent deletion.

Do Pictures In Text Messages Use Memory?

Pictures in the text messages will take up memory. It will use a small amount of your RAM when you are viewing the image. And, of course, if you have a messaging app running in the background, that will also take some of your phone’s memory. But, in that case, the picture in the text messages will not.

That said, images in messages will take up storage, regardless of whether you are viewing them or not. For that reason, it’s a good idea to delete unnecessary pictures from the messages and gallery.

Does Deleting Text Messages Free Up Space?

Deleting text messages from your phone will free up space. However, text messages do not require a high amount of storage. As a matter of fact, standard SMS typically uses 190 bytes of space.

So, to save 1 Megabyte of data, you need to delete 5,500 text messages. Considering that, you really should not bother about text messages taking up your phone’s space, whether it’s Android or iOS. But, of course, the case is different for MMS. Depending on the file, they can take up to 1 Megabyte of storage space.

Bite-Sized Summary

Are you still wondering how to delete pictures from text messages on Android? In short, you can delete the pictures from text messages by tapping and holding them and then pressing the delete button. But remember that the images will only be deleted on your end, not on the recipient’s end.