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Can I delete more than one photo at a time on my Apple iPhone?

My kids have learned how to do screen captures on my iPhone and now whenever they're playing with the phone, they're taking screenshots of what they're doing, be they games, checking my address book or just looking at a map. Cute, but darn annoying when my photo library is overrun with this stuff. Worse, it's tedious as hell to delete them, one by one, on the phone. Without resorting to my computer, is there any way to delete more than one picture or photograph at a time on the Apple iPhone 3GS?


Dave's Answer:

What a great question to receive: my kids have a similar affliction! The older kids are obsessed with the wallpaper apps and spend hours just looking through the possibilities, while the youngest is a big fan of Cooking Mama and takes a screenshot every time she completes a recipe, whether she did well or not.

As you so eloquently put it, my photo library is also overrun (though I'd use the word "polluted", personally) with these images and it does drive me a bit crazy when I have to clean them out and clean up the photos on my iPhone.

Fortunately, there is a way to do mass deletions of your photo library (though i should point out up front that if there are any photos that iTunes has put on your phone with a sync, there's no way to delete it from the phone without using iTunes again).

The thing is, just about everyone just breezes past the point where you can do multiple-photo deletion without knowing it's an option. Here's where you go when you look at your photo library by tapping on "Photos" then selecting "Camera Roll":

iphone mass photo delete 1

See that arrow coming out of the square on the lower left corner? Tap on it.

iphone mass photo delete 2

Ahhh... the joy of finding a pretty well hidden feature! Notice here that you can not only delete multiple photos, but you can also copy them (and then paste them into another app) or share them via either email or MMS. Cool.

Now tap on all the photos you want to delete:

iphone mass photo delete 3

Once you're ready - or are tired of tapping - then tap on the red "Delete" button...

iphone mass photo delete 4

If you're sure you want to delete the selected photos, simply click on "Delete Selected Photos" and you're done!

That's all there is to it. Pretty darn easy, after all.


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Categorized: iPhone and Cell Phone Help   (Article 9296, Written by )
Tagged: apple iphone 3gs, apple itunes, iphone camera, photo library, photo management
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Reader Comments To Date: 5

dépannage informatique said, on February 15, 2010 4:14 AM:

thanks for this tip, i didn't know how to delete several pictures from my Iphone at the same time...

Ken said, on December 11, 2010 10:38 AM:

Hi
I am trying to delete photos on y i phone. I delete them on the camera roll but there is a Photo Library folder and it seems impossble to delete them from that folder/ How do stop the photos on the Lap top being synced to the I fone !!
Thanks
Ken

Alice said, on May 1, 2011 11:07 AM:

Oh my god! thank you so much! i had so many photos to delete and i was about to just get a new phone. (: thanks!

t. tusaisqui said, on June 25, 2011 1:42 AM:

I have also some problem for delete picture of my Iphone, thank for this poste !

Carie Stephens said, on January 16, 2012 3:03 PM:

This was SO helpful - thanks a bunch!!

Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!











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