iCloud data deletion seems to be broken, countdown in negative days.

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Level 1

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iCloud data deletion seems to be broken, countdown in negative days.

I am trying to get rid of all my messages in iCloud and I set them up for deletion some time ago and I check back regularly to see if it the deed is done. However, now it says they will be deleted in negative days and I don't know when this task will complete. I wish for things to work as expected, to have my data deleted, but I also wish for a way to manage to my iCloud storage manually so no one ever has to do things on a timeline.

iPhone 17 Pro Max

Posted on Nov 28, 2025 8:29 AM

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Answer 1

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zinacef

Level 10

88,720 points

Dec 4, 2025 4:01 PM in response to donistivanov

The "negative days" countdown you are seeing is merely a "zombie UI" glitch; the fact that your screen shows "0 B of 5 GB Used" confirms that your files have effectively already been purged from the server and are no longer taking up space.

To remove this stuck banner, you should simply tap the Undo Delete button—since there is no data left to recover, this action acts as a reset switch that forces the interface to return to its standard "Off" state, or you can try signing out of Media & Purchases to force a refresh.

Regarding your wish for manual control, you do not need to rely on the "all or nothing" 30-day timeline; instead, you can navigate to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages and tap on Photos or Videos to surgically delete specific large files, allowing you to free up space immediately without wiping your entire chat history.

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