Help Managing/deleting long SMS conversations?

[ODog2323]

Using the stock messaging app, a couple conversations are up there in the 2-3000 range (I have "delete old messages" unchecked). The lag on those threads is getting so bad that I figured it'd be better to just delete them and start fresh. Of course when I go to delete them the messaging app just freezes and eventually force closes.

I went ahead and checked the option to delete old messages and set the limit at a couple hundred per thread. Now with that checked the app freezes when I attempt to send a message in those huge conversations. After several trial and errors and reboots I have things back to normal, i.e. suffering through the app lagging on the extra long threads.

Anyone have experience dealing with this. Did I wait too long and let the threads get so big that the phone can't even handle deleting them?? I've tried clearing the app data in settings, but that does nothing. Does anyone know where the threads are stored on the device/sd card? Would it be possible to delete them that way?

Thanks!!

 

[ocnbrze]

have you tried a different text messaging app like handcent?

 

[ODog2323]

have you tried a different text messaging app like handcent?

Naw I'd prefer to stick with the stock messaging app. Assuming I can get these huge threads deleted it works just fine for me. The conversations that aren't 3000 messages long don't lag or anything.

 

[ned23]

Does it also lock up if you try to delete one at a time?

I have also experienced that when messages get over about 1000 the app will slow down considerably. I usually just delete the entire thread at that point, but have not had any trouble doing so, yet.

 

[ODog2323]

Does it also lock up if you try to delete one at a time?

I have also experienced that when messages get over about 1000 the app will slow down considerably. I usually just delete the entire thread at that point, but have not had any trouble doing so, yet.

Yea it lets me delete single messages, though even that is a bit sluggish. Now I wish I cleared them out at around 1000

 

[ODog2323]

Anyone think I could locate and delete the messages through Root Explorer? I just rooted yesterday so I'll be exploring the file system seeing what I can find...

 

[aburgthing]

Anyone think I could locate and delete the messages through Root Explorer? I just rooted yesterday so I'll be exploring the file system seeing what I can find...

Wow, I just had a friend call me yesterday seeking advise on the exact to a "t" problem you are having. Almost the exact number too LOL! I suggested getting Handcent not to use as the daily messaging app, but to clean out the long threads. Last I checked, it was working albeit slowly. She let the phone sit overnight to continue the process and I haven't checked back. I'll text her now to see how it went.

 

[ODog2323]

Wow, I just had a friend call me yesterday seeking advise on the exact to a "t" problem you are having. Almost the exact number too LOL! I suggested getting Handcent not to use as the daily messaging app, but to clean out the long threads. Last I checked, it was working albeit slowly. She let the phone sit overnight to continue the process and I haven't checked back. I'll text her now to see how it went.

So maybe use handcent just to delete the threads? Let me know what you find...

 

[aburgthing]

Just got a response and yes Handcent worked like a charm. She said it took a while but after the long threads were gone, her messaging works as normal and all lag is gone so give it shot. You can get rid of it once it does what you need it to.

 

[aburgthing]

"yes, it took long but I went to and when I woke up it was done. I rebooted just in case and had no weird text issues so far"

Her text back to me.

 

[ODog2323]

"yes, it took long but I went to and when I woke up it was done. I rebooted just in case and had no weird text issues so far"

Her text back to me.

Cool, I'll give that a whirl tonight. Thanks!


LOL yea this is gonna take a while...4009, 4006, 4002, 3999...

Hopefully it'll be done when I wake up tomorrow

What's the difference between Delete and Force Delete?


Update: It got down to 410 overnight and stopped for some reason. I'll take that as a victory though. I got the message limit at 500 now so hopefully won't have to deal with this again in a few months.

 

[ODog2323]

"yes, it took long but I went to and when I woke up it was done. I rebooted just in case and had no weird text issues so far"

Her text back to me.

I dunno how it all worked out for your friend, but while I was able to delete the messages through handcent, they somehow reappeared when I rebooted my phone the next day.

The hell with it I just wiped the phone and started over.

Just a heads up

 

[PyroSporker]

I was reading in this thread the other day and almost posted but then decided not to. But here we go on a different, somewhat related, subject.

Today on my lunch break my stock messaging app did an unexpected error and force closed. These are not out of the ordinary and happen sometimes (I do use Wimax Notifier as well, which as known, has occasional force closes).
However this time when I went back into messaging all my messages were gone! One of my threads was 13,100+ messages. Poof all gone. I thought maybe a phone restart would clear the error bring them back, but no luck.

I have had aspirations for a long time of creating a back up of them to my SD card/Gmail, but clearly my procrastinating ways got me into trouble again.

Its not a HUGE deal that they are gone, but it was rather discouraging for me right after it happened. One positive came of this though, I forgot how snappy the phone and messaging app can be
If there is some way to locate them and restore them so I can still back them up, it would be absolutely astounding.

I've navigated to the app data using the 'Manage Applications' feature and found 852KB of total data - 820KB Data, 0 KB Application, 32KB Cache. 25 current messages. I don't remember what it was before the force close disaster when I had tens of thousands but maybe someone can check their Messaging app data for a comparison for me?

I largely suspect I am totally out of hope in this situation, but if anyone has any good ideas please help!

PS I better start backing up my computer right now, because knowing this current luck, my hard drive is going to fail before tomorrow comes!