Deleting Messages

I find it difficult to trash messages in mail from my iPhone 5

I'm not sure what you mean by "difficult" -- it either works or it doesn't -- but by chance do you mean "I recently upgraded to iOS 7 and can't delete messages the way I used to, by swiping to the right?"

If so, try swiping to the left instead and see if that solves the issue.

Thank you. I can see I was less than explicit!! I am sorry. What I meant was that when I try to Trash my email messages from my iPhone 5 now operating on IOS 7 I receive a message back "Unable to move Messages" "The messages could not be moved top mailbox Trash." My configuration is iMac, iPad 2 and iPhone 5 operating on Virgin media broadband and wifi

If you are using an IMAP-based mail account (iCloud, GMail, etc), you can try "deleting" the email account from your phone and re-adding it, which should clear that up. To be on the safe side, be SURE this is an IMAP-based account before doing this, and make a backup before proceeding.

I have a new IPad air (+MacBook pro + iPhone4) and am having trouble deleting unwanted email. Left swipe offers "Trash, "More" or "Archive." I do not want to Archive. Selecting "Trash" or "delete" works, then it comes back with a message "Could not be moved to mailbox trash."

I suspect a setting somewhere that I cannot find. Any help?

Usually this message will appear if your iPhone cannot contact the mail server for your IMAP-based mail account for some reason. It is quite possible that the issue is with the carrier or email provider (and is usually resolved pretty quickly in those cases). The other day I discovered that the reason my 3G wasn't working is that I had accidentally put in my US SIM card -- when I'm back home in Canada. DOH. Switching the SIMs back and restarting the iPhone cleared that up.

Have you tried actually powering down the iPhone (not just putting it to sleep) and seeing if that makes a difference?

Thanks for the help, although I should have posed the question better. Emails delete on the MacBook as they are supposed to, although some time ago, it all flowed back in multiple copies, a dozen or so at a time, presumably from wherever in the cloud it was hiding. If I deleted it again, back it came in even more copies, sort of like the Mickey Mouses' brooms in "The Sorcerors' Apprentice." That fortunately has stopped since Maverick and the last OS upgrade. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

My issue was it's refusing to delete from the iPad. But, doing it properly, left swipe, scroll down to more, then "Trash," does seem to work. Deleting from the laptop also deletes from the phone and the iPad, which is as it should be.

Thanks again.

My answer in post #6 applies equally to the iPad as it does to the iPhone. The problem you're seeing on the iPad is usually caused by the device being unable to properly connect to your mail provider's IMAP server. This can often be corrected by a simple restart.

When you say restart do you mean Reset network settings?

RogerBayldon said:

When you say restart do you mean Reset network settings?

Click to expand...

Restart = turn the device off (as in power it down) and then turn it back on (start it up again).

With iOS, this is done by holding the power button until the 'Slide to Power Off' appears.
After it is shut down, then press the power button to turn it on again.