How to Really Delete Gmail Emails in iOS4

I spent the entire day trying to figure this out! Thank you so much.

Why did Apple do this? It is as if they want people to archive instead of deleted, something gmail(google) wanted at first.

Don,

Glad you found the how-to useful. I myself had trouble with it at first, but a friend brought it to my attention. I think Apple is trying to accommodate tons of Gmail users on the iPhone.

Don,

Glad you found the how-to useful. I myself had trouble with it at first, but a friend brought it to my attention. I think Apple is trying to accommodate tons of Gmail users on the iPhone.

Don,

Glad you found the how-to useful. I myself had trouble with it at first, but a friend brought it to my attention. I think Apple is trying to accommodate tons of Gmail users on the iPhone.

Don,

Glad you found the how-to useful. I myself had trouble with it at first, but a friend brought it to my attention. I think Apple is trying to accommodate tons of Gmail users on the iPhone.

Not me. I’m a gmail user but I don’t want my deleted messages to archive.

John,

I agree I like to delete and not worry about messages being somewhere else, that’s why I hit Delete in the first place. If I need to archive I move to the folder/label I created for that specific type of message. Thanks for the feedback and glad you found the article useful.

John,

I agree I like to delete and not worry about messages being somewhere else, that’s why I hit Delete in the first place. If I need to archive I move to the folder/label I created for that specific type of message. Thanks for the feedback and glad you found the article useful.

John,

I agree I like to delete and not worry about messages being somewhere else, that’s why I hit Delete in the first place. If I need to archive I move to the folder/label I created for that specific type of message. Thanks for the feedback and glad you found the article useful.

John,

I agree I like to delete and not worry about messages being somewhere else, that’s why I hit Delete in the first place. If I need to archive I move to the folder/label I created for that specific type of message. Thanks for the feedback and glad you found the article useful.

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Richard Hay and Packard Sonic, JW. JW said: This is useful!! http://www.gilsmethod.com/delete-gmail-emails-ios4 [...]

Thanks! I like the option to archive but wish it was defaulted to delete.

Thanks! I like the option to archive but wish it was defaulted to delete.

Thanks! I like the option to archive but wish it was defaulted to delete.

Thanks! I like the option to archive but wish it was defaulted to delete.

Spoonyfork,

I agree, you’d think that they would learn that people don’t like things to be changed on them, if it’s an added feature…let ME enable it. Thanks for passing by. I hope you found this and other articles useful.

Spoonyfork,

I agree, you’d think that they would learn that people don’t like things to be changed on them, if it’s an added feature…let ME enable it. Thanks for passing by. I hope you found this and other articles useful.

Spoonyfork,

I agree, you’d think that they would learn that people don’t like things to be changed on them, if it’s an added feature…let ME enable it. Thanks for passing by. I hope you found this and other articles useful.

Spoonyfork,

I agree, you’d think that they would learn that people don’t like things to be changed on them, if it’s an added feature…let ME enable it. Thanks for passing by. I hope you found this and other articles useful.

Hmmm. Yes, I noticed this ‘enhancement’ when I loaded iOS4 on my 3GS.

Changing the default is one thing, not letting us have both is a bit of a failing though, I think.

For example – if you use the archive feature, select multiple mails in your “All inboxes” view and hit “archive”, the mails are sent to each individual account’s “all mail” folder. Great so far.

Same goes if you turn archive off and use the “delete” option instead. Select a bunch of emails, hit “delete” and hey presto they go into each indivial account’s “Bin” folder. Still great.

Now, I’ve decided I want the “delete” option to be the default, so I’ve turned off archiving. I can still use the multiple-delete option to the same effect, but if I want to archive mails from the “All inboxes” view there’s a problem. Selecting a bunch of emails and moving them to the “All mail” folder (as was how I used to archive) actually moves emails between accounts so they all end up in the default account’s “All mail” folder. Grrrrr.

Anyone know of a good way to archive mails from the “All inboxes” folder when you’ve got the “delete” option set?

Hmmm. Yes, I noticed this ‘enhancement’ when I loaded iOS4 on my 3GS.

Changing the default is one thing, not letting us have both is a bit of a failing though, I think.

For example – if you use the archive feature, select multiple mails in your “All inboxes” view and hit “archive”, the mails are sent to each individual account’s “all mail” folder. Great so far.

Same goes if you turn archive off and use the “delete” option instead. Select a bunch of emails, hit “delete” and hey presto they go into each indivial account’s “Bin” folder. Still great.

Now, I’ve decided I want the “delete” option to be the default, so I’ve turned off archiving. I can still use the multiple-delete option to the same effect, but if I want to archive mails from the “All inboxes” view there’s a problem. Selecting a bunch of emails and moving them to the “All mail” folder (as was how I used to archive) actually moves emails between accounts so they all end up in the default account’s “All mail” folder. Grrrrr.

Anyone know of a good way to archive mails from the “All inboxes” folder when you’ve got the “delete” option set?

Hmmm. Yes, I noticed this ‘enhancement’ when I loaded iOS4 on my 3GS.

Changing the default is one thing, not letting us have both is a bit of a failing though, I think.

For example – if you use the archive feature, select multiple mails in your “All inboxes” view and hit “archive”, the mails are sent to each individual account’s “all mail” folder. Great so far.

Same goes if you turn archive off and use the “delete” option instead. Select a bunch of emails, hit “delete” and hey presto they go into each indivial account’s “Bin” folder. Still great.

Now, I’ve decided I want the “delete” option to be the default, so I’ve turned off archiving. I can still use the multiple-delete option to the same effect, but if I want to archive mails from the “All inboxes” view there’s a problem. Selecting a bunch of emails and moving them to the “All mail” folder (as was how I used to archive) actually moves emails between accounts so they all end up in the default account’s “All mail” folder. Grrrrr.

Anyone know of a good way to archive mails from the “All inboxes” folder when you’ve got the “delete” option set?

Hmmm. Yes, I noticed this ‘enhancement’ when I loaded iOS4 on my 3GS.

Changing the default is one thing, not letting us have both is a bit of a failing though, I think.

For example – if you use the archive feature, select multiple mails in your “All inboxes” view and hit “archive”, the mails are sent to each individual account’s “all mail” folder. Great so far.

Same goes if you turn archive off and use the “delete” option instead. Select a bunch of emails, hit “delete” and hey presto they go into each indivial account’s “Bin” folder. Still great.

Now, I’ve decided I want the “delete” option to be the default, so I’ve turned off archiving. I can still use the multiple-delete option to the same effect, but if I want to archive mails from the “All inboxes” view there’s a problem. Selecting a bunch of emails and moving them to the “All mail” folder (as was how I used to archive) actually moves emails between accounts so they all end up in the default account’s “All mail” folder. Grrrrr.

Anyone know of a good way to archive mails from the “All inboxes” folder when you’ve got the “delete” option set?

Any idea if there is a fix to an issue related to this when using GMAIL accounts via the Exchange setup? I use this so I can get push e-mails rather than the phone having to check it on a periodic cycle.

I get errors sometimes saying that it could not move a message to trash when I delete it. Or when it does delete and I sync my Outlook at home the messages show up.

When I used the gmail setup if I deleted a message it never downloaded. Any ideas or info is welcome.

Thanks for this solution – I was wondering why the Delete button had gone after iOS4 update

Rob,

Other than using the Move command, I really don’t see any other option. If something comes up, I’ll make sure to put it on here.

Rob,

Other than using the Move command, I really don’t see any other option. If something comes up, I’ll make sure to put it on here.

Rob,

Other than using the Move command, I really don’t see any other option. If something comes up, I’ll make sure to put it on here.

Rob,

Other than using the Move command, I really don’t see any other option. If something comes up, I’ll make sure to put it on here.

Joe K.

I too use the Exchange setup for both the iPhone 4 and my iPad and it works fine…the issue is not coming up. You might want to check the Advanced Settings for the Gmail account on the iPhone and make sure that Deleted Mailbox is the Trash. Let me know if this helps or if you need some assistance. Good luck.

Joe K.

I too use the Exchange setup for both the iPhone 4 and my iPad and it works fine…the issue is not coming up. You might want to check the Advanced Settings for the Gmail account on the iPhone and make sure that Deleted Mailbox is the Trash. Let me know if this helps or if you need some assistance. Good luck.

Joe K.

I too use the Exchange setup for both the iPhone 4 and my iPad and it works fine…the issue is not coming up. You might want to check the Advanced Settings for the Gmail account on the iPhone and make sure that Deleted Mailbox is the Trash. Let me know if this helps or if you need some assistance. Good luck.

Joe K.

I too use the Exchange setup for both the iPhone 4 and my iPad and it works fine…the issue is not coming up. You might want to check the Advanced Settings for the Gmail account on the iPhone and make sure that Deleted Mailbox is the Trash. Let me know if this helps or if you need some assistance. Good luck.

Glad you found it useful. Thanks.

Glad you found it useful. Thanks.

Glad you found it useful. Thanks.

Glad you found it useful. Thanks.

“You might want to check the Advanced Settings for the Gmail account on the iPhone and make sure that Deleted Mailbox is the Trash.?”

I don’t see an “Advanced Settings” menu when using gmail via exchange on my iPhone. I saw the “Archive Messages” when I setup the account using the Gmail menu on my iPhone but emails aren’t pushed to my phone unless I use exchange. Any way to delete messages without using move?

Jon,

When viewing the Gmail account in Settings, tap on Account Info and then Advanced….hope this helps.

Jon,

When viewing the Gmail account in Settings, tap on Account Info and then Advanced….hope this helps.

Jon,

When viewing the Gmail account in Settings, tap on Account Info and then Advanced….hope this helps.

Jon,

When viewing the Gmail account in Settings, tap on Account Info and then Advanced….hope this helps.

I don’t think its Apple that put in this functionality. GMail likes to shove archive down your throat because you have so much space that you NEVER need to delete emails again.

This is all very well, but when are Apple going to people with a delete all button??

Missing word: trust

[...] was able to find a fix, however. Open your settings and navigate to the “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” page. Tap [...]

Thanks Gilberto! Oddly, after I disabled archiving, the delete button appears if I swipe an individual message, but the button in the bottom left after I hit edit still says “archive”.

Whatever, I’d rather have the one delete option that going to “move” and “trash” all the time.

Thanks Gilberto! Oddly, after I disabled archiving, the delete button appears if I swipe an individual message, but the button in the bottom left after I hit edit still says “archive”.

Whatever, I’d rather have the one delete option that going to “move” and “trash” all the time.

Thanks Gilberto! Oddly, after I disabled archiving, the delete button appears if I swipe an individual message, but the button in the bottom left after I hit edit still says “archive”.

Whatever, I’d rather have the one delete option that going to “move” and “trash” all the time.

Thanks Gilberto! Oddly, after I disabled archiving, the delete button appears if I swipe an individual message, but the button in the bottom left after I hit edit still says “archive”.

Whatever, I’d rather have the one delete option that going to “move” and “trash” all the time.

Curious again, it’s now the next day and now the unchanged “archive” button at the bottom that I spoke of in my previous comment has magically changed to “delete” today without any further setting changes. Bizarre! Shouldn’t these things happen instantly?

Curious again, it’s now the next day and now the unchanged “archive” button at the bottom that I spoke of in my previous comment has magically changed to “delete” today without any further setting changes. Bizarre! Shouldn’t these things happen instantly?

Curious again, it’s now the next day and now the unchanged “archive” button at the bottom that I spoke of in my previous comment has magically changed to “delete” today without any further setting changes. Bizarre! Shouldn’t these things happen instantly?

Curious again, it’s now the next day and now the unchanged “archive” button at the bottom that I spoke of in my previous comment has magically changed to “delete” today without any further setting changes. Bizarre! Shouldn’t these things happen instantly?

Bob,

It’s possible. I also think that Apple is trying to be accommodating since so many people use Gmail on their iPhones.

Bob,

It’s possible. I also think that Apple is trying to be accommodating since so many people use Gmail on their iPhones.

Bob,

It’s possible. I also think that Apple is trying to be accommodating since so many people use Gmail on their iPhones.

Bob,

It’s possible. I also think that Apple is trying to be accommodating since so many people use Gmail on their iPhones.

Biffoon,

You can delete all of the messages, just tap on the Edit button and select the messages you wish to delete…it’s not the one tap delete button, but you can delete multiple emails. Hope this helps.

Biffoon,

You can delete all of the messages, just tap on the Edit button and select the messages you wish to delete…it’s not the one tap delete button, but you can delete multiple emails. Hope this helps.

Biffoon,

You can delete all of the messages, just tap on the Edit button and select the messages you wish to delete…it’s not the one tap delete button, but you can delete multiple emails. Hope this helps.

Got it…thanks.

Got it…thanks.

Got it…thanks.

Biffoon,

You can delete all of the messages, just tap on the Edit button and select the messages you wish to delete…it’s not the one tap delete button, but you can delete multiple emails. Hope this helps.

Got it…thanks.

Simone,

I agree with you on that one. When this happens are you viewing just the Gmail inbox or are you in the all Inboxes view? This is certainly strange behavior. Did you try resetting the iPhone? Thanks.

Simone,

I agree with you on that one. When this happens are you viewing just the Gmail inbox or are you in the all Inboxes view? This is certainly strange behavior. Did you try resetting the iPhone? Thanks.

Simone,

I agree with you on that one. When this happens are you viewing just the Gmail inbox or are you in the all Inboxes view? This is certainly strange behavior. Did you try resetting the iPhone? Thanks.

Simone,

I agree with you on that one. When this happens are you viewing just the Gmail inbox or are you in the all Inboxes view? This is certainly strange behavior. Did you try resetting the iPhone? Thanks.

It could…thats why in my previous reply I had asked if you had reset the iPhone or closed out the Mail app entirely…sometimes that’s all it takes. Thanks for following up.

It could…thats why in my previous reply I had asked if you had reset the iPhone or closed out the Mail app entirely…sometimes that’s all it takes. Thanks for following up.

It could…thats why in my previous reply I had asked if you had reset the iPhone or closed out the Mail app entirely…sometimes that’s all it takes. Thanks for following up.

It could…thats why in my previous reply I had asked if you had reset the iPhone or closed out the Mail app entirely…sometimes that’s all it takes. Thanks for following up.

[...] Here’s the tutorial I found on how to revert back to the “Delete” process: http://www.gilsmethod.com/delete-gmail-emails-ios4 [...]

When I turn archiving off and delete an email, on the web my email is in the Bin, but tagged as Inbox, so shows in my inbox as well. Does no one else have this problem?

Finally!! thank you!!

Glad you found it useful.