How to Delete Reddit Account on iPhone: A Comprehensive Tech Guide

Reddit is one of the most popular social media platforms on the internet, with over 50 million daily active users. However, constant notifications, addictive feeds, and inflammatory posts can make Reddit an exhausting experience over time.

As a tech expert and data analyst, I often get questions from users looking to delete their Reddit accounts from iPhone due to these issues.

In this comprehensive technical guide, I‘ll show you step-by-step how to fully delete a Reddit account from an iPhone, with extra details on:

• The behind-the-scenes process of Reddit account deletion
• Statistics on social media overuse and impacts to mental health
• Permanent account deletion options compared to deactivation
• Additional tips for leaving Reddit from a tech expert perspective

Let‘s get started.

Why You Might Want to Delete Your Reddit Account on iPhone

Before diving into the technical details, let‘s discuss why people make the choice to delete the Reddit app or their accounts completely from their iPhones:

1. You Spend Too Much Time Mindlessly Scrolling

Reddit purposefully employs infinite scroll and variable reward techniques to maximize engagement. According to RescueTime’s 2021 report, the average Reddit user spends over 30 minutes per day on the platform.

Additionally, a 2021 study by Starling Lab reports that people perceive one hour of time on Reddit to feel like 13-20 minutes due to hyper-stimulating content keeping the brain engaged. This makes it very easy to lose track of time while scrolling.

Simply deleting the app serves as an environment design tactic to reduce compulsive scrolling behavior.

2. You Want to Take a Break From Social Media

The constant stimulation and comparison provided by social media frequently leaves users feeling exhausted after long periods of use:

Social media often makes users feel more negative, depressed or inadequate by comparison. When we constantly consume the “highlights reel” versions of our friends’ or influencers’ lives, our own realities seem underwhelming by comparison.

Taking a temporary break by deactivating your Reddit account allows your brain to rest without losing your online presence completely.

3. To Protect Your Privacy

As data analyst concerned with personal privacy, I cannot recommend enough permanently deleting your accounts on platforms like Reddit to protect your personal info from vulnerable data breaches, advertising trackers, government surveillance, and more.

Even deactivated accounts still leave faint user footprints that savvy engineers can piece together. Fully removing yourself from their records gives peace of mind.

4. The Content Stresses You Out

A 2021 study on social media usage shows a correlation between Reddit usage and increased self-reported anxiety and depression in people already prone to isolation and upward social comparison:

“The findings indicated that using Reddit was associated with two facets of mental health difficulties: depression and anxiety symptoms. Specifically, depression symptoms were reported more in those who used Reddit for more hours per week."

Trimming down Reddit usage – or eliminating it – eliminates a self-reported contributor towards declining mental health.

5. You‘re Bored of The Platform

Finally – it‘s okay to simply get bored of a platform! Reddit relies heavily on user-generated content and crowd-curation. As subreddits evolve over time, you may find yourself no longer interested in the site‘s offerings.

Similar to cleaning out old clothes from your closet, deleting accounts on platforms you no longer engage with helps focus your attention elsewhere.

No matter the exact reason why, let‘s now get into how to delete your Reddit account from an iPhone from a technical perspective.

Step 1: Opening Your Reddit Profile

The first step in account deletion is accessing your profile screen:

1. Launch the Reddit app on your iPhone home screen by tapping the icon.

2. Tap your profile icon, located at the bottom right of the screen. This opens your profile page.

   

3. With the profile page open, tap the gear icon ⚙️ to access account settings next.

   

From your profile, the gear icon allows adjustment to account settings and deletion preferences.

Step 2: Navigating Account Settings

Now navigate to the fuller account settings menu:

1. After opening your profile, tap the gear icon visible in the top right.

2. This opens the complete Settings page with various account options.

3. Next, scroll down and select Account Settings near the bottom.

   

The Account Settings screen displays expanded account management preferences, including deactivation.

Step 3: Locating Deactivate Button

Here‘s how to find the deactivate option:

1. In Account Settings, scroll down past profile fields until reaching the bottom.

2. Tap the red Deactivate Account button under the "Manage Account" header.

   

3. A confirmation prompt will appear after tapping the deactivate button.

This deactivate option is at the very bottom of the menu after all other account options.

Step 4: Tapping "Deactivate Account"

Follow these exact steps to deactivate your account:

1. The popup after tapping "Deactivate" will ask "Are you sure?" Tap yes to proceed.

   

2. Next, you must enter your Reddit account password when prompted to confirm identity.

   

   This verification ensures actual account holders are deactivating, not unauthorized users.

3. Finally, tap the red "Deactivate Account" button in the pop-up to complete deactivation.

   

Once you complete these three steps, your Reddit account will instantly deactivate across all logged in devices.

Optional Step: Deleting Content

When you deactivate your Reddit account, your existing posts and comments remain on the platform attributed to your username (now shown as [deleted]).

If you prefer wiping your content before deactivating, here are the steps:

1. From your profile, tap the comments tab to view your Reddit commenting history.

2. Tap into each comment and select Delete. Repeat for all comments.

3. Next, visit your posts under the Posts tab and delete each one the same way.

   

With your content removed, deactivating lets Reddit only display [deleted] without associating your strings of posts and comments.

What Happens After Deactivating Your Account?

When your Reddit account deactivates, here is what instantly happens across linked platforms:

• You automatically logout of Reddit on all mobile apps, computers, browsers, etc.
• Your username disappears from search and listings
• Your posts/comments remain, now showing as posted by [deleted]
• You lose access to private messages and conversations
• You can still reactivate your account by simply logging back in

In summary – deactivation cuts access while preserving select history. It also allows effortless reactivation anytime.

Now let‘s contrast this with next steps for permanent account deletion.

Permanently Deleting Your Reddit Account

If you want your data erased from Reddit‘s systems entirely, deactivation alone isn‘t sufficient. Full account deletion requires contacting Reddit Support:

1. Visit Reddit‘s contact us page from any web browser.

   

2. Select Account Issues followed by I want to permanently delete my account.

   

3. Submit the online deletion request form.

4. Wait 1-90 days for deletion confirmation.

   Reddit must adhere to location-specific privacy laws regarding user data retention policies. Global timelines range from several days up to three months.

Once completed, permanent deletion erases your personal information across Reddit‘s systems, including:

• Profile details like usernames, avatar, and badges
• Comment and post history, votes, saved content
• Private/direct conversations and messages
• Email or phone verification for account access
• IP address and usage logs

Essentially, no personally identifiable data tied specifically to your account remains in their records. Reactivation also requires an entirely new account.

The main tradeoff with this level of removal is losing your posting history permanently. However, for privacy advocates this is likely a favorable result.

When Permanent Deletion Can Be Reversed

In some rare cases, Reddit may have the ability to reinstate deleted accounts if achieving full permanent erasure would violating local regulations.

For example, the EU Right to be Forgotten laws state users can request data removal while companies must weigh this request against conflicting areas like:

• Freedom of expression
• Public interest
• Company overhead required to Guarantee full data erasure

So permanent deletion may not prove possible. In these cases, deactivation may be the best option still allowing you to walk away while Reddit retains compliance.

Key Takeaways of Removing Reddit from iPhone

Let‘s summarize the critical steps and considerations around deleting your Reddit account from an iPhone:

And if you‘re simply looking to reduce Reddit consumption rather than fully deleting, here are a few key tips:

• Disable notifications
• Remove from main smartphone homescreen
• Monitor weekly usage within screen time settings
• Unsubscribe from distracting subreddits

I sincerely hope this guide gives you the exact steps and technical knowledge around managing or removing your Reddit account from iPhone access. Please let me know any other questions in the comments!