Samsung Galaxy S4: How to Delete Messages or Conversations in Hangouts App in Android 4.4 Kitkat

In some conditions, you may want to delete messages or conversations in Hangouts app once you have set this app as the default messaging app by enabling the SMS messages features in this app. Deleting messages or conversations are usually done by the user when they want to clean up the messaging app, free up some space in their phone or even when they want messages or conversation from certain contact no longer displayed there. As same as other Messaging app, you can delete messages or conversations with ease in Hangouts app.


How to delete a single message within conversation in Hangouts app?
As a note, Hangouts app doesn't allow the user selecting more than one messages within an opened conversation therefore if you want to delete multiple messages within conversation, you have to delete the message one by one by using the following steps:
  1. Open Hangouts app.
  2. Tap the required conversation where the message you want to delete is located.
  3. Long tap the required message and then select Delete.
  4. Tap Delete button to confirm.
  5. The selected message will be deleted.
  6. To delete another message in the same conversation, repeat from the step #3.


How to delete a single conversation in Hangouts app?
Below are the steps to do so:
  1. Open Hangouts app.
  2. You can delete a single conversation while you're in the conversations list (see the step #3) or while opening the conversation (see the step #4).
  3. From the conversation list:
    • Long tap the required conversation. The conversation will be highlighted when it's selected.
    • Tap located at the top right corner of the screen and then tap Delete button to confirm.
    • The selected conversation will be deleted.
  4. While opening a conversation:
    • Tap the required conversation.
    • Tap the Menu key and then select Delete.
    • Tap Delete button to confirm.
    • The opened conversation along with the whole messages inside it will be deleted.


How to delete multiple conversations in Hangouts app?
Hangouts app allows you to multi select conversations so that you can delete more than one conversations with ease by using the following steps:
  1. Open Hangouts app.
  2. Long tap the required conversation. The conversation will be highlighted when it's selected.
  3. Single tap another conversations you want to delete.
  4. Tap to open more options and then select Delete.
  5. Tap Delete button to confirm.
  6. The selected conversations will be deleted.

Deleting messages periodically is a way to keep up the phone storage has enough free space so that the phone can work well and doesn't encounter any error caused by low internal storage.

6 comments:

  1. I have an S4 and the latest version of Hangouts. I am offered ONLY the Copy Text option when I long press an individual message I wish to delete in Hangouts. I wish to delete two individual messages within our Hangouts Chat history. I have friends who can do this on different model phones and apparently the comments above indicate I should be able to do that, as well. Help?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Oamfuchs,
      Thanks for coming.
      FYI, the "Delete" option only available if you long tap in an individual SMS message in Hangouts app. This option is not available when you long tap in an individual Hangouts chat history.

      Delete
  2. I use the hangouts app. So, I don't understand your answer. How do I accomplish what I wish to accomplish?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Oamfuchs,
      Thanks for coming back here.
      I'm so sorry if my previous reply didn't clear enough for you.
      FYI, Hangouts app lets us to use it to send SMS message (you can enable this feature in the Hangouts app settings) and chat with other Hangouts app users.
      And, the Delete option only available if you long tap in an individual SMS message in Hangouts apps.
      So, there's nothing you can do to delete a chat history, but you're allowed to delete all chat histories within an opened conversation by tapping the Menu key and then select "Delete".

      Delete
  3. Thank you for being persistent, too. However, it appears from the content above, that I SHOULD be able to delete a single message from a conversation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Oamfuchs,
      I didn't mean to be persistent. I really sorry if this post has made a misunderstanding between us. If you re-read in the first paragraph, I said " Deleting messages or conversations are usually done by the user when they want to clean up the messaging app ..... As same as other Messaging app, you can delete messages or conversations with ease in Hangouts app." So, from the beginning, I wrote this post to show all visitors (including you) how to delete SMS messages in Hangouts app, not to delete chat histories in Hangouts app.

      Delete

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