How do you Delete chats on both sides?

Deleting chats on both sides is an important way to protect your privacy when messaging on apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and more. When you delete a chat on your side only, the messages remain visible to the other people in the conversation. Deleting on both sides erases the chat history from all devices for everyone involved.

Why Delete Chats on Both Sides?

There are a few key reasons you may want to delete a chat on both sides instead of just your side:

• Privacy – Deleting on both sides ensures the chat history is gone for everyone, preventing others from accessing it later.
• Storage – Clearing message history frees up storage space used by the chat app on all devices.
• Reduce Clutter – Deleting old or unimportant chats declutters your messaging app and makes current conversations easier to find.
• Hide Sensitive Information – You may want to delete a chat containing private, financial, or other sensitive data from both sides.

Deleting on both sides gives you more control over removing conversations you no longer need or want to keep around. It helps minimize privacy risks as well as storage usage.

How to Delete WhatsApp Chats on Both Sides

Here are the steps to delete a WhatsApp chat on both sides for iPhone and Android:

iPhone

1. Open the WhatsApp chat you want to delete.
2. Tap and hold the message you want to delete.
3. Tap “Delete” then “Delete for Everyone.”
4. Confirm deleting the message.

This will delete the selected message for everyone in the chat. To delete the entire chat:

1. Open the WhatsApp chat.
2. Tap the contact’s name at the top of the screen.
3. Scroll down and tap “Delete Chat.”
4. Confirm deleting the chat.

Android

1. Open the WhatsApp chat.
2. Tap and hold the message you want to delete.
3. Tap “Delete” then “Delete for everyone.”
4. Confirm deleting the message.

To delete the full chat:

1. Open the WhatsApp chat.
2. Tap the contact’s name at the top of the screen.
3. Tap the 3 dots icon in the top right.
4. Tap “Delete chat” then “Delete chat.”

The steps are very similar between iPhone and Android. Make sure to confirm deleting for everyone when prompted. This ensures the chat will be deleted from the other person’s device as well.

How to Delete Facebook Messenger Chats on Both Sides

You can also delete Facebook Messenger chats on both sides. Here are the steps for iPhone and Android:

iPhone

1. Open the Messenger chat.
2. Tap and hold the message you want to delete.
3. Tap “Delete Message” then “Delete for Everyone.”
4. Confirm deleting the message.

To delete the entire chat:

1. Open the Messenger chat.
2. Swipe left across the chat in the list.
3. Tap “Delete Chat.”
4. Confirm deleting the chat.

Android

1. Open the Messenger chat.
2. Long press the message you want to delete.
3. Tap “Delete message” then “Delete for everyone.”
4. Confirm deleting the message.

To delete the full chat:

1. Open the Messenger chat.
2. Tap the contact name at the top of the chat.
3. Scroll down and tap “Delete chat.”
4. Confirm deleting the chat.

The process is very similar to WhatsApp. Make sure to delete for everyone so the messages are removed from both sides.

Other Chat Apps

Most major chat apps allow you to delete messages and conversations on both sides, including:

• Telegram – Tap and hold a message, choose “Delete everywhere.”
• Signal – Tap and hold a message, choose “Delete message” then “Delete for everyone.”
• Snapchat – Tap and hold a message, hit the trash icon, then “Delete for everyone.”
• Instagram Direct – Tap and hold a message, choose “Unsend message” then “Unsend.”

The specific steps vary slightly but generally involve long pressing a message, choosing to delete or unsend, then confirming for everyone or everywhere. Refer to the app’s help documentation for exact details.

Limits and Considerations

There are some caveats to keep in mind when deleting chats on both sides:

• Time limits – Many apps only allow deleting for a short time after sending, usually just a few minutes.
• Not guaranteed – The other person may have seen the message before it was deleted.
• Notifications remain – While the message is deleted, any notifications about it may still show up.
• Backups – Messages may persist in cloud backups or device backups.
• Group chats – Deleting in groups may only remove messages for you, not everyone.

While deleting chats can improve privacy, it does not guarantee the messages are permanently gone in all cases. Set reasonable expectations when removing chats on both sides.

Conclusion

Deleting chats on both sides provides more privacy and control over your messaging history. Follow the steps outlined above for WhatsApp, Messenger, and other major chat apps. Be aware of potential limitations around timing, backups, and group messages. With reasonable expectations, removing chats on both sides can help you keep your conversations tidy and minimize privacy risks.