Why do messages delete on my iPhone when removed from my Apple Watch SE?

If you use iMessage in iCloud they will delete on all devices.

Access your messages on all your Apple devices

When you turn on Messages in iCloud, messages you send and receive on your iPhone are saved in iCloud. When you sign in to the same Apple Account and turn on Messages in iCloud on another device, your conversations show up there too.

1. Go to Settings  > [your name] > iCloud, then tap See All next to Saved to iCloud.
2. Turn on Messages (if it’s not already turned on).
3. To
4. confirm which other devices will receive any SMS, MMS, or RCS text
5. messages you get on your iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Messages,
6. then tap Text Message Forwarding.

After you turn on

Messages in iCloud, any messages or attachments you delete from iPhone

are also deleted from your other Apple devices (iOS 11.4, iPadOS 13,

macOS 10.13.5, watchOS 1, visionOS 1, or later) where Messages in iCloud

is turned on. See Set up iCloud for Messages on all your devices in the iCloud User Guide.

Note: Messages in iCloud uses iCloud storage. See Use iCloud.

Hello Buba123-

I just got off of the Phone a little while ago, with a Senior Support Specialist named Eric :-\ at Apple Support (10/30/24). We spent quite a bit of time conversing about what has recently began happening with our Family’s Text Messages when we use the Apple Messenger App on our Apple Watches and our iPhones. The current Text Messaging features are way too restrictive when it comes to the deletion and the retention of Text Messages (including Text Messaging Threads) on a Customer’s iPhone! As you read through Apple’s Forum regarding these problems, it is obvious that we are not the only Customers who are very displeased. This issue took a turn for the worse for some of us, with Apple update vs 17. Here is the gist of Apple’s Messenger App Policy and Software features/limitations via Eric, with their Senior Tech Support Dept:

(1) That once a particular Text Msg is deleted from an Apple Watch, there is currently no way from keeping that Text Msg Thread from being deleted from a Person’s iPhone; and then being moved into the “Recently Deleted” Messages Folder on their iPhone. That Message Thread will only remain in that iPhone’s ‘Deleted Messages’ Folder for 40 Days, then the entire Message Thread apparently disappears :-\

(2) There is no feature on the Apple Watch or the iPhone to adjust the syncing or un-syncing of Apple Watch Messages…regardless of the iPhone or Apple Watch settings. Once the Apple Watch is synced with a specific iPhone, the Text Messages will appear on both, and can be deleted by either. The basic deletion feature is mirrored on both, whether you want it that way or not. The Apple User now has zero control when it comes to how the Apple Watch affects the Text Messages on their iPhone :-\

(3) The Apple Messenger App cannot be deleted from any Apple Device. It will remain on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and continue to sync all Messenger App Text Messages :-\

(4) The best thing to do, if Apple Customers want this funky Text Deletion Feature modified, they need to go to Apple’s Feedback Website, and type out what problems they are encountering on their Apple Device(s); and what features they believe might have Software Bugs, or features that need to be changed, added, or removed. Hopefully, the Apple Software Developers with acknowledge the problems, and make the necessary modifications on future iOS iPhone and Apple Watch updates…