Phone, Messages, and FaceTime
Keep Messages
Most people call this how long messages are kept before being deleted.
Messages can be kept forever, for one year, or for 30 days, after which they are deleted automatically.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 18 and later
- Settings
- Apps
- Messages
- Keep Messages
What it does
Changing to a shorter period deletes everything older than that immediately, and it cannot be undone. Attachments are the main reason message storage grows.
What changes
When it is on
Not applicable. This is a retention period.
When it is off
Not applicable.
Should you turn it on?
Battery
No real change
Privacy
Helps
Performance
Helps
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
Helps
Out of the box: Forever.
Can cause real problems
Where this setting used to live
Apple moves settings between releases. This is every location we have on file.
-
iOS 18 and later
Settings > Apps > Messages > Keep Messages
-
iOS 13 to iOS 17
Settings > Messages > Keep Messages
Questions people actually ask
- Why are my messages taking so much space?
- Attachments, almost always. Review Large Attachments in iPhone Storage, or set Keep Messages to one year.
If it is not working
- Changing this deletes old messages immediately. Export anything you need first.
- Audio and video message expiry are separate settings on the same screen.
- Review Large Attachments under iPhone Storage frees space without deleting conversations.