Can you write a script to auto delete text messages?

[bobfitz14]

Might be a dumb question. Basically, I'm curious if there is a way to write a script/"app" that auto deletes conversations in Messages based on specific arguments. E.g. auto-delete the 5 oldest conversations when it is midnight.

Apologies if this thread is redundant.Spent about 10 minutes googling/searching MR and nothing came up. I'm a beginner/intermediate programmer with my computer science minor and have dabbled a little bit the past few weeks with Automater and AppleScripts.

 

[Xenc]

This could probably be done on device if you were jailbroken.

Otherwise you could prune the messages directly via USB, or in an iTunes backup, with software such as iExplorer.

 

[sbailey4]

Wait for iOS8 or Phone Cleaner app can do it (not automatic) but can select all messages or each thread or certain message in each thread and delete . www.imobie.com

 

[bobfitz14]

I'm a bit surprised you can convert workflow in Automator to an app but you can't do something comparable with iOS.

 

[Intell]

Why would that surprise you? iOS has never and will likely never have that kind of end user programability.

 

[bobfitz14]

Why would that surprise you? iOS has never and will likely never have that kind of end user programability.

I just don't know anything about iOS development other than its usage of Obj-C. I more or less assumed that my ignorance of the topic was the reason why I couldn't find an answer to my question.

Nonetheless I can't say I'm too surprised that there isn't a way to do this. I am well aware of Apple's traditional closed-door approach with iOS as far back as the first generation iPod Touch.

 

[C DM]

I just don't know anything about iOS development other than its usage of Obj-C. I more or less assumed that my ignorance of the topic was the reason why I couldn't find an answer to my question.

Nonetheless I can't say I'm too surprised that there isn't a way to do this. I am well aware of Apple's traditional closed-door approach with iOS as far back as the first generation iPod Touch.

You might want to look into information about jailbreaking as to what it does, how it works, what it allows, etc., to get a better understanding on how iOS is set up with respect to things of this nature.