Apple Users

question everything

(48,797 posts) Wed Sep 25, 2024, 03:40 PM Sep 25

Keeping messages on iPhone?

As I have posted before, even after four years I consider myself a newbie to the iPhone. It is basic SE and serves me fine with... yes, phone calls, emails, weather, calendar and communications via texting and Whatsapp.

But it appears that each contact is "allowed" only one thread. So messages are going back and forth and finally I just delete the whole threads.

I started wondering about it when there were talks about texts from and to Mark Meadows. How could he have saved and recalled individual texts from the gazillions that he had accumulated?

What am I missing? Yes, I am a dinosaur.

Thanks.

2 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Keeping messages on iPhone? (Original Post) question everything Sep 25 OP

There's a setting, IIRC (which I can't find right now) usonian Sep 25 #1

Thank you. Bottom line, I think, is storing on the iCloud which I do not use. question everything Oct 21 #2

usonian

(13,772 posts)

1. There's a setting, IIRC (which I can't find right now)

Reply to question everything (Original post)

Wed Sep 25, 2024, 06:34 PM

Sep 25

that asks messages to be "stored in iCloud" or on the phone.

Trying to simplify this. (I can get more complex later)

I think the clearest example is when I delete a thread on the phone, it's not deleted on my other devices. That means the messages are stored locally.

I can address encryption later. imessages are encrypted end to end, BUT they aren't if
A. You message to an android user. Those go as plain text, or
B. You unlock the phone. Everything is then visible to cops as well as to you. Even "signal messenger" highly encrypted messages.

I will say no more right now. I think this addresses your concerns.

There is the OTHER concern, that people serving the government are restricted in what they communicate, even by side channel, like Trump did when borrowing other people's phones to evade required logging of messages.

question everything

(48,797 posts)

2. Thank you. Bottom line, I think, is storing on the iCloud which I do not use.