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Tech

This Is The Worst Mistake You Can Make When Deleting Emails On Your iPhone

July 7, 2019 by Lisa Cupido
shefinds | Tech
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It’s always a good idea to delete emails that you no longer need — doing so will free up storage on your iPhone and make it run even smoother (and maybe even faster).

But you may be surprised to learn that simply deleting messages may not be enough to truly get rid of them.

This is the worst mistake you can make when deleting emails on your iPhone.

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Plain and simple: the worst mistake you make when deleting emails on your iPhone is assuming they are gone for good.


Apple actually provides a service by retaining deleted emails in its trash folder and holding onto them, just in case you change your mind and feel you’ve made a mistake by deleting them.  Unfortunately, this does nothing to help free up precious storage space on your phone.

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According to Apple Toolbox, there are two steps you should take to get rid of emails completely and set your inbox back to 0 messages.


To delete messages:


Open Settings
Select Passwords & Accounts
Choose one of your email accounts from the list
Select the same email account again
Scroll to the bottom and tap Advanced
Under the heading Mailbox Behavior, select Archive Mailbox
Look for heading On the Server
Tap to checkmark All Mail from “On The Server.”
Press <Advanced in the upper-right corner to go to the previous screen and look for the heading Move Discarded Messages Into
Select Deleted Mailbox
Tap <Account in the upper-right corner to go back to the previous screen
Click Done in the upper-right corner to save these settings
Repeat for all your email accounts

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Now, in order to set your iPhone mail so that the inbox shows zero messages, take the following steps:


Open the Mail app
Tap ‘Edit’ in the top right-hand corner
Select all of the emails you want to delete
You can only delete up to 150 emails at a time
After iOS deletes those emails, go to the trash and delete again
Repeat this process until all emails are completely gone
After you finish, restart your device!

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It may feel like a hassle to permanently delete emails each time you want to get rid of one for good. But taking the time once in awhile to completely clear our your inbox frees up storage space, can make your phone run faster, and will save you from staring at a cluttered inbox.

 

Author:

Lisa Fogarty is a lifestyle writer and reporter based in New York who covers health, wellness, relationships, sex, beauty, and parenting.

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Latest iPhone 17 model showcasing sleek design.
Woman working on laptop in a casual setting.
Smartphone plugged into charger for power.
Display of various apps on iPhone screen.
Close-up of hands holding iPhone 17 Pro Max.
User interacting with iPhone in everyday use.
Person holding iPhone with multiple apps displayed.
Woman texting on smartphone with focused expression.
Android phone featuring a variety of applications.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 smartphone on display.
Woman enjoying fresh watermelon salad in casual outfit.
User holding Android phone displaying various apps.
iPhone 14 showcasing multiple applications on screen.
iPhone settings screen indicating low battery charge.
Sony headphones with iPad and laptop on Amazon.
Person using iPhone with apps visible on screen.
iPhone displaying a selection of apps available.
iPhone storage full notification on the screen.
User holding an iPhone with visible apps.
iPhone screen filled with various application icons.