Messages in iCloud : delete old stucked messages

Everyone known this issue with iCloud : Messages in iCloud syncing all conversations but no way to delete all stored content in iCloud.

I will explain you « how to clean Messages in iCloud ».

Spoiler alert : it’s not really difficult to do but it’s a long time process – very boring.

Cet article/tuto est disponible en français ici.

As many people, I activited 5 years ago Messages sync in iCloud. I delete regularly messages on my phone but nothing dissapear on iCloud.
Messages takes more and more space, no idea to clean it.

I tried disabling syncing messages, waited 30 days but Messages stay in iCloud.

How to do ?

You must know the stupid rules behind iCloud :

You cannot remove and sync more than 100 messages in iCloud each sync time.

So if you try to delete 500 messages conversation, iCloud will remove only 100 messages.

How to recover old messages already deleted on my phone but staying in iCloud ?

Try this :

1/ Write a new message to your contact

2/ Disable Messages in Cloud sync

3/ Enable Messages in Cloud sync (charger plugged and WIFI on/connected) and wait syncing.

4/ Go to Messages > Deleted items and restore messages.

How to delete all messages restored ?

Try this :

1/ You should select 100 messages (by hand, one by one) and delete it.

2/ Empty the iMessages bin

3/ Force iCloud sync (Settings / iCloud account (on top) / iCloud Sync / Messages / Sync).

Do it again and again to delete all messages in your conversations.

For older messages, how to do now ?

Now you should use Keep Messages functionnality

1/ Change setting « Keep Messages » to infinite.

2/ Disable Messages in iCloud sync

3/ Enable Messages in iCloud sync

4/ Check if sync is finished

5/ Change setting « Keep Messages » to 1 year or 30 days

6/ Request sync.

Messages in iCloud counter will drop by 100. Do it again and again to remove all stucked messages.

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I use this method because I don’t find other solution. It’s a mess but nothing else worked in my case.

In 5 hours, I reduce Messages in iCloud from 12000 messages to 25 messages.

Let’s go. Play with it.