Need to Know: How Do I Delete Shared with You on iPhone?
I stared at my iPhone screen, a wave of frustration washing over me. Years ago, I’d shared a ton of stuff with my family through Apple’s ‘Shared with You’ feature. Now, it was just a cluttered mess.
It felt like digital junk mail, filled with articles I’d already read and music I’d already listened to. The worst part? There seemed to be no easy way to get rid of it all. How do I delete shared with you on iphone? That was the question burning in my mind.
I eventually found a way. It’s not as straightforward as it should be, and the process is spread out across a few different apps, so stick with me.
It’s important to know there is a quick fix and a more permanent solution.
The Annoying Truth About ‘shared with You’
Honestly, I thought it would be a simple tap-and-delete situation. I figured it would be like clearing out my email inbox. Wrong.
There’s no single button to wipe the slate clean. Apple has buried the controls across multiple apps. Some items are easy to remove, others take more effort. It’s not exactly intuitive, and if you are using it to communicate with family or friends, it can be a little clunky.
For example, if someone shares a link with you in Messages, you can remove it from the ‘Shared with You’ section in Safari. But if they share an article in News, you have to go into the News app to get rid of it. Similarly, shared music lives in the Music app.
It’s like they designed the system to be as difficult as possible. If I had known how frustrating the process would become, I wouldn’t have shared so much in the first place.
Quick Fix: Removing Individual Items
Short. Very short.
Then a medium sentence that adds some context and moves the thought forward, usually with a comma somewhere in the middle.
Then one long, sprawling sentence that builds an argument or tells a story with multiple clauses — the kind of sentence where you can almost hear the writer thinking out loud, pausing, adding a qualification here, then continuing — running for 35 to 50 words without apology.
Short again.
The simplest method is to remove items one by one.
It’s time-consuming, sure, but it’s the only way to manage it on a regular basis, especially if you get a lot of shares.
First, open the app where the item appears – Safari for links, Music for songs, News for articles, Photos for images, or Podcasts for episodes – then find the ‘Shared with You’ section, which is typically located in a sidebar, or on the app’s homepage. Locate the item you want to banish, and then long-press on it. This should give you options. (See Also: Will Deleting Photos From Google Photos Delete From Iphone )
A tap-and-done solution is rarely this easy.
Deleting Shared Links in Safari
Let’s say a friend sends you a link to an article via iMessage, and it appears in your Safari ‘Shared with You’ section. Here’s how to banish it:
- Open Safari.
- Tap the ‘Start Page’ button, which is usually found in the bottom right corner (two squares). This takes you to your start page.
- Scroll down to the ‘Shared with You’ section.
- Locate the link you want to delete.
- Long-press on the link. A menu will pop up.
- Tap ‘Remove’.
Boom. Gone. It disappears instantly.
Cleaning Up Shared Music in Apple Music
Music is a little different, primarily because there are two ways songs can be shared. First, someone can just send a song, like any other link. Second, they can send a song that is playing in the Now Playing menu.
Here’s how to scrub shared music from your Apple Music library:
- Open the Apple Music app.
- Tap ‘Listen Now’ at the bottom.
- Scroll down to the ‘Shared with You’ section.
- Find the song.
- Long-press on the song.
- Tap ‘Remove’.
Again, it’s quick and easy to get rid of individual songs. A far more cumbersome process is getting rid of multiple songs from the same person or source.
Here’s a tip: If you want to stop a specific person from sharing music with you, you’ll need to mute their messages in the Messages app. This will stop their music shares, but also any other links, photos, or other material they send to you.
The News App and Shared Articles
For shared articles in the News app, the process is similar to Safari and Music:
- Open the News app.
- Go to the ‘Shared with You’ section.
- Locate the article.
- Long-press on the article.
- Tap ‘Remove’.
Easy, right? Until you realize how many articles get shared! This is where the whole thing becomes a bit tedious, but it is the only way to do it.
According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, the average American gets their news from a minimum of three sources, so the articles can pile up quickly.
Photos: A Tricky Situation
Photos present a slightly more complex situation. This is mainly because of how shared photos are treated in the Photos app.
If someone shares a photo with you via iMessage, it will appear in the ‘Shared with You’ section of the Photos app. You can tap it to view it, but the app doesn’t give you a direct ‘remove’ option in the ‘Shared with You’ section.
Instead, you’ll need to go into the Messages app, find the photo in the conversation, and then delete it from there. This is a crucial step; if you skip this, the photo will remain visible in the ‘Shared with You’ section, even if you delete it from the Photos app itself.
It’s important to remember that deleting a photo from the Messages app also deletes it from the conversation, so be sure you’re okay with that before proceeding. Also, note that if the sender deletes the photo from their Messages app, it will also disappear from your ‘Shared with You’ section. (See Also: Why Cant I Delete Photos On My Iphone )
Podcasts: The Podcast App Process
The Podcast app operates much like the other apps in terms of removing shared content.
- Open the Podcasts app.
- Go to the ‘Shared with You’ section.
- Locate the podcast episode.
- Long-press on the episode.
- Tap ‘Remove’.
The Podcasts app, like Apple Music, gives you a choice to stop a specific person from sending you content, but there is no feature that will simply delete all shared content.
Turning Off ‘shared with You’ (temporarily)
Now, here’s where things get interesting. You can temporarily turn off the ‘Shared with You’ feature to prevent new items from being added.
This is not a deletion method, but it stops the incoming flow. If you’re overwhelmed, this can give you some breathing room.
Unfortunately, there is no master switch to disable ‘Shared with You’ in all apps at once. You have to do it on a per-app basis.
In each app (Safari, Music, News, etc.), you can go into the settings and turn off the ‘Shared with You’ feature. This will prevent new content from appearing.
How do you do that? Here’s how to turn it off for Safari:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap ‘Safari’.
- Scroll down to the ‘Shared with You’ section.
- Toggle off the ‘Shared with You’ switch.
Repeat these steps for each app where you want to disable ‘Shared with You’.
The annoying part? It will not remove what has already been shared. It only stops new shares from appearing.
The Nuclear Option: Muting Conversations
Here’s where it gets a little aggressive, but it can work if you are at your wit’s end.
You can mute entire conversations in the Messages app. Doing this will stop all shared content from a particular person from appearing in your ‘Shared with You’ sections across all apps. It is very effective.
Here’s how to mute a conversation:
- Open the Messages app.
- Find the conversation with the person whose shares you want to block.
- Swipe left on the conversation.
- Tap the bell icon (this mutes notifications).
Muting a conversation also stops notifications. If that is a problem, it is not for you.
The Downside: No Bulk Delete
The biggest problem is that there’s no way to delete everything at once. No button, no option, no setting to do it. You have to go app by app, item by item. It is time consuming, to say the least. (See Also: Why Do My Iphone Messages Turn Green )
I wish I could say there was a secret trick, but there isn’t. I spent about an hour researching and experimenting after the first time I got frustrated. I looked at every setting and app, but there is no one-click solution. One thing is certain: Apple’s approach to shared content could be better.
The frustration is that Apple seems to be pushing this feature as a way to share content with others, but offers no easy way to manage the content you receive. It’s like building a beautiful house but forgetting the trash cans.
Comparison Table: Quick Removal Methods
Here’s a quick reference guide:
| App | Method | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Safari | Long-press link, tap ‘Remove’. | Fastest and easiest method for links. |
| Apple Music | Long-press song, tap ‘Remove’. | Simple, but can be time-consuming with large libraries. |
| News | Long-press article, tap ‘Remove’. | Straightforward but repetitive. |
| Photos | Delete from Messages app (sender’s actions affect visibility). | Most complicated, requires deleting from a separate app. |
| Podcasts | Long-press episode, tap ‘Remove’. | Works fine, just a lot of clicking. |
This table can help you get started, but will only manage the problem and not fix it.
Common Questions About ‘shared with You’
Can You Remove Something That Was Shared with You on iPhone?
Yes, you can remove items shared with you. The method varies depending on the app. In Safari, Music, News, and Podcasts, you typically long-press and select ‘Remove.’ For photos, you’ll need to delete them from the Messages app.
Can You Stop Someone From Sharing with You on iPhone?
Yes, there are several methods. You can turn off ‘Shared with You’ for individual apps in your iPhone settings. You can mute a conversation in the Messages app. Muting stops all content shares and notifications from that person. The best option depends on your needs.
How Do I Hide Shared Content on iPhone?
Hiding shared content is not the same as deleting it. You can’t truly ‘hide’ it. However, you can temporarily disable ‘Shared with You’ in the settings of each app. This will stop new items from appearing, but won’t remove existing ones. You can also mute conversations to prevent content from specific people from showing up.
The fact that you cannot hide a specific person’s content is the biggest design flaw.
Verdict
So, there you have it. The process of how do i delete shared with you on iphone is not as easy as it should be, but it’s manageable. It’s a bit like cleaning your desk: you have to take it one item at a time.
The good news is that, once the clutter is gone, it won’t keep coming back — at least until your friends and family start sharing again!
Now, go forth and reclaim your digital space. It might take a while, but it’s worth the effort. It’s important to keep your phone organized, since you use it every day.
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