Deleting
Users delete information daily. Before you support deleting in your app, think about the type of information users might delete and how important it is. If users delete something by mistake, they might want to retrieve it, but prompting users to confirm every deletion can slow them down.
You can apply most of the information about deleting to the actions of removing and resetting.
- Deleting: Deleting an item from the device
- Removing: Removing an item but not deleting it from the device (for example, deleting a song from a playlist)
- Resetting: Returning values to a predefined state and losing all changes
Use the following information to decide how to incorporate support for deleting information in your app:
Unimportant content
Users could reproduce the content easily.
Examples
- Removing a song from a playlist
- Removing an alarm setting
- Removing a tag on a photo
Confirmation type
Don't ask users to confirm deletion.
Important content
Users could lose valuable application data or content within an application.
Examples
- Deleting an email
- Deleting a contact
- Deleting a playlist
Confirmation type
Show a toast that lets users undelete. The toast should disappear within 3 seconds of the user interacting with the screen.
Critical content
If it's deleted, users could lose valuable data that affects how the device functions.
Examples
- Resetting the device or an app
- Removing an email account
Confirmation type
Show an inquiry dialog that describes the outcome of the deletion and requires users to confirm that they understand it before the deletion takes place.
Implementation
Users can delete or remove items in the following ways. Choose the way that works best for your app.
- In a context menu, users can touch and hold on an item or use the multi-select gesture to open the context menu. Place the Delete action at the bottom of the menu.
- In an action bar, users can open the action menu. Place the Delete action at the bottom of the menu. You can use this approach when users are in a content view (like reading an email, looking at a picture, or viewing the details for a contact).
- Users tap an Edit button to act on a lot of data at one time.
Place a reset action on a Settings screen. Don't use a context menu or action bar.
Best practices
Don't put a Delete action in an action bar. Use an action menu instead to make it harder for users to delete an item by accident. Since the action menu button appears at the bottom right of the screen and the Delete action appears at the bottom of the action menu, users can double-tap to delete an item.
If users delete an item from a list or grid, remove the item from the screen using a delete animation.
If users delete an item from a content view (like an email or contact), remove it from the screen using a delete animation and return users to the previous screen.