• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Technipages

Smart phone, gadget and computer tutorials

  • Topics
    • Android
    • Gaming
    • Hardware
    • Internet
    • iOS
    • MacOS
    • Office
    • Software
    • Windows
    • Definitions
  • Product Reviews
  • Downloads
  • About
Android: What Does Locking a Text Message Do?

Android: What Does Locking a Text Message Do?

By Mitch Bartlett 16 Comments

You may have noticed an option that says “Lock” whenever you tap and hold an individual text message from within some versions of the Android Messaging app. You might wonder what it does. You’re not the only one.

Locking a text message marks the message to prevent it from being deleted. There are still ways to delete locked text messages, the Lock feature just adds an extra layer of security to prevent accidental deletion.

So if you lock a text message, then later wish to delete the entire thread that message is included in, it will leave the locked messages and delete the rest. Some smartphones will prompt you to delete locked messages when deleting threads by providing an “Include protected message” or “Delete locked messages” check-box option.

FAQ

If I factory reset my Android, will it retain locked messages?

No, it will not.

You Might Also Like

  • Android: Forward Text MessageAndroid: Forward Text Message
  • How to Set Text Message Ringtone in AndroidHow to Set Text Message Ringtone in Android
  • Android: Can't Send Text Message to One PersonAndroid: Can't Send Text Message to One Person
  • Android: Check if Text Message Was DeliveredAndroid: Check if Text Message Was Delivered
  • How to Schedule a Text Message on Any Android DeviceHow to Schedule a Text Message on Any Android Device
  • Android: Use Voice to Send Text MessageAndroid: Use Voice to Send Text Message
  • Android: Send Picture in Email or Text MessageAndroid: Send Picture in Email or Text Message
  • Android: "Text Message Memory Full" Error FixAndroid: "Text Message Memory Full" Error Fix
  • iPhone 8 & X: How to Forward a Text MessageiPhone 8 & X: How to Forward a Text Message

Filed Under: Android

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Val wilson says

    October 29, 2019 at 2:49 pm

    Hi…. I was able to lock messages by pressing on the message then selecting lock message. This was on Samsung J3, for some reason that facity is no longer showing but I can delete previous nessages that were protected.

  2. Eileen Shick says

    October 4, 2019 at 10:43 am

    Not sure. I keep getting unwanted spam. I get a message asking if I want to delete locked messages. If I do this, will it delete the entire thread and leave other messages alone? I am sick of getting worthless texts asking for me to do something.

  3. Keith says

    August 12, 2019 at 6:28 pm

    I keep getting unknown number and unknown text messages their is no number to type to block I delete it but keeps coming back every few mins.

  4. Tom says

    January 9, 2019 at 8:31 pm

    What happened in case I upgrad my phone?

  5. Linda says

    November 12, 2018 at 9:56 am

    I keep getting text messages from Unknown. Instead of using 2 or 3 minutes, they eat up 159 minutes or so!!

    The last one left me with 29 minutes out of 1000 I buy monthly and never even use half that.

    I don’t know how to block these, and if I delete, it takes forever for it to delete.

  6. Mitch Bartlett says

    October 21, 2018 at 11:59 am

    I am not aware of any mechanism that would report a message being locked.

  7. Dela says

    October 21, 2018 at 4:04 am

    If I lock a message does the other person know?

  8. Terry P. says

    May 17, 2018 at 5:14 am

    No….I have a Note 4, & the option of locking an individual text is no longer an option. I want to delete the thread & save ONLY special text. What happened?

  9. Jeremy Weitzel says

    February 25, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    Be careful! I had a bunch of locked messages that got deleted anyway, and I DID NOT check to include them them in the delete action.

  10. Stephanie says

    February 25, 2018 at 10:04 am

    I have an Android, Motorola Moto G5 . On my old phone I was able to lock certain messages so that they wouldn’t get deleted when I deleted the thread. I used it to save special messages from friends and especially from my kids. . Is there an app to do that on this new phone? I appreciate any help you can give me, thanks.

  11. Mickey Scholwinski says

    February 8, 2018 at 3:19 am

    Thanks for answering my question. Very helpful.

  12. Mitch Bartlett says

    December 27, 2017 at 8:01 pm

    A third-party texting app. I believe Chomp SMS and Handcent do it.

  13. Amy Vegan says

    December 27, 2017 at 1:12 am

    i don’t have a press/hold message for “lock message” on 7.1 android zte blade. terrible. i need this feature. how can i get it?

  14. Ms Barb Banen says

    October 18, 2017 at 10:12 pm

    My ZTE MaxPro has recently been deleting locked text mssgs when deleting thread: & I am NOT checking the box inquiring if I want to delect licked messages? Very frustrating & losing some needed texts. Thank you.

  15. Faye says

    October 7, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    No.
    My text disappeared and want to get it back, so, I need to undo the whole text

  16. Jinky Panesa says

    September 24, 2017 at 8:47 pm

    Yes it did. Thank you much!

Did this help? Let us know! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Microsoft Teams: How to Bookmark Messages
  • Slack: How To Configure Your Theme
  • IE/Edge: Content Was Blocked, Invalid Security Certificate
  • Fix Microsoft Teams Not Downloading Files
  • Fix Microsoft Teams Not Blurring Background
  • Troubleshooting Microsoft Teams Error caa20003
  • Microsoft Teams Emojis Not Working
  • Slack: How To Hide Message Previews in Notifications

Who’s Behind Technipages?

Baby and Daddy My name is Mitch Bartlett. I've been working in technology for over 20 years in a wide range of tech jobs from Tech Support to Software Testing. I started this site as a technical guide for myself and it has grown into what I hope is a useful reference for all.

Follow me on Twitter, or visit my personal blog.

You May Also Like

  • DVD Region-Locking
  • Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol
  • 9 Best Android TV box
  • 10 Best Android Phone Cleaner Apps in 2019

© Copyright 2021 Technipages · All Rights Reserved · Privacy