Tired of Spam Texts? Mark All as Read & Delete Them in iOS 18

Is your iPhone inbox packed with unread texts, random alerts, and spam from marketing bots? You’re not the only one. Text messages from mobile operators, shopping apps, and services flood daily, and the important stuff gets buried. And now, with the recent iOS 18 update, even long-time iPhone users are struggling to find simple tools to organize their Messages app.

The interface has changed, and the buttons have moved. But the good news is that you can still clean things up fast if you know where to look.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to:

• Mark all messages as read in one go
• Delete spam and old texts for good
• Empty your message trash
• And even share a bonus tip to make your iPhone smarter

Let’s get into it.

Why Your iPhone Messages Inbox Gets Out of Control

Your inbox isn’t just for personal chats anymore. It’s become a catch-all. Banks send transaction alerts. Stores push deals. Delivery services spam with updates. And worse, some numbers are junk, automated spam, or shady links.

Unread messages pile up if you don’t stay on top of it. Before long, you’re staring at 200+ notifications, most of which you don’t even care about.

Besides being annoying, it creates real problems:

• You miss important messages
• You waste time scrolling
• Your phone starts to feel cluttered
• And message data can eat into your storage

Keeping your inbox clean makes a big difference.

✅ Step-by-Step: How to Mark All Messages as Read on iPhone (iOS 18)

Apple made some changes in iOS 18, and the old “Edit > Read All” method is gone. But you can still do it with just a few taps—here’s how.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Messages app from your home screen.
2. You’ll see a list of all your conversations—read and unread.
3. Tap the Filters button in the top-left corner.
4. In the menu that pops up, choose All Messages.
5. Now, look at the top-right corner and tap the three-dot icon (it’s inside a circle).
6. A drop-down menu will appear. Tap Select Messages.
7. In the bottom left, tap Mark All as Read.

Boom. Every unread message is now marked as read. No more red notification badges. No more stress.

Tip: If you still want to catch up later, you can manually select a few unread messages instead of marking all of them.

How to Delete Messages You Don’t Want🗑️

Maybe you don’t just want to mark messages as read. Perhaps you want them gone—forever. Spam, old updates, expired offers—you don’t need them clogging up your phone.

Here’s how to delete them in iOS 18.

Delete Conversations in Bulk:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Tap the Filters option at the top left.
3. Select All Messages from the filter list.
4. Tap the three dots icon in the upper-right corner.
5. Choose Select Messages.
6. Now tap the bubbles next to the messages you want to delete.
7. Once you’ve selected all of them, tap Delete at the bottom.
8. Confirm the deletion in the pop-up window.

But you’re not done yet.

Empty the “Recently Deleted” Folder

Apple now stores deleted messages in a hidden trash folder for 30 days in case you want to recover something. But if you’re sure, go ahead and wipe it.

Here’s how:

1. Go back to the Filters menu.
2. Scroll down and tap on Recently Deleted.
3. Select Delete All.
4. Confirm by tapping Delete again.

Note: This is permanent. Once deleted from here, those messages can’t be recovered. Double-check before hitting the button.

Pro Tip: Use Apple’s New “Search Without Screenshots” Feature

Apple quietly introduced a new feature in iOS 18 that saves you time. Instead of taking screenshots or copying and pasting text to look things up, you can now search directly from any screen.

Hold your finger on the text you want to search, and the system will offer instant results—whether it’s a tracking number, product name, or address. It’s like Google Lens but baked into iOS.

If your inbox is full of info you need to look up, this will save you serious time.

What to Do Regularly to Keep Your Inbox Clean

You’ve done the cleanup. Great. Now, how do you keep it that way? Make this a habit:

• Mark or delete spam texts immediately.
• Unsubscribe from promo SMS when possible (look for “STOP” instructions).
• Use Filters in Messages to sort unknown senders or promotions.
• Consider turning on Focus Mode to reduce message notifications.
• Once a month, open Recently Deleted and hit “Delete All.”

Five minutes a week keeps your Messages app neat and easy to use.

Final Thoughts

Managing your iPhone messages doesn’t have to be a chore. With iOS 18, Apple changed some menus, but the tools are still there—you need to know where to find them.

To recap:

• You can mark everything as read in a few taps.
• You can permanently delete spam or old texts.
• And the new search feature helps you act on messages faster than ever.

A clean inbox is more than just aesthetic. It lets you stay focused, save time, and stop missing unimportant things.