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Recently, I've seen a few answers in the Low Quality Posts queue which said something like "I want to delete, but I can't from mobile"*. I didn't try, but on my phone's app there is a button for deletion of answers. I have two questions:

  1. Is it true that there are technical obstructions to delete a question from a mobile device?
  2. What's the correct action reviewing this? Recommending deletion or ignoring until the OP deletes the answer himself, eventually?

*) Actually, most of the posts rather looked like "i want to delete but i cant from mobile", as if they wanted to prove that they're using a keyless device.

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    $\begingroup$ 1. Being an old-fashioned guy who uses a real computer rather than some ugly device without a keyboard, I have no first-hand knowledge. But from what I've read, it seems that the iOS app has a "delete" button, but the Android app doesn't. 2. Recommend deletion, or skip if you don't want to deal with it. 3. What feature are you requesting? Seems more like a support question than feature-request. $\endgroup$
    – Daniel Fischer
    Nov 14, 2016 at 20:58
  • $\begingroup$ Dear @DanielFischer, thank you for your comment. I changed the tag as you suggested. $\endgroup$
    – Ben
    Nov 14, 2016 at 22:20
  • $\begingroup$ I've done it myself twice. I think I'm writing a comment but I accidentally post an answer instead. The problem I have (on Android!) is not only that I can't delete on the Stack Exchange app, but even when I go into my browser it redirects me to the app whenever I click any links on the site. $\endgroup$
    – Nitin
    Nov 15, 2016 at 4:20

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On Android Stackexchange app there is no apparent way to delete your own Question (even if there are no Answers) or to delete your own Answer. (It is possible to delete ones own Comments, by touching it to select it and then touching the Trash Can icon at top). On the other hand, there is a "..." (more) link below the Question which contains an option to Open in Browser.

In mobile version the web page presentation of your Question includes a "delete" link below your Question (but above the author/asked/edited byline), between "close" and "flag" link options. Correspondingly the mobile version puts a "delete" link below your Answer, between the "edit" and "flag" links.

I successfully deleted (and then undeleted) this Question of mine using the mobile web page approach as outlined. I haven't tested deleting one of my Answers in this corresponding manner (yet), but I will get around to it soon and report if there are difficulties encountered.

Occasionally a user will request a post be deleted after having lost their login used to create that post. Some caution is needed in these cases because of the risk of identity spoofing, and I generally refer the user to the FAQ on how to merge multiple accounts. If the case seems compelling that the user requesting deletion is the same, I have at times flagged for moderator attention giving my reasons for that conclusion and recommending deletion (if otherwise appropriate).

Of course, from Review one can vote/recommend to delete if the post qualifies for such treatment even aside from the OP's wishes.

Bug reports concerning the Stack Exchange Apps, either Android or iOS, are currently being handled through Questions posted at Meta.SE. Searching for "Stack Exchange App" and [bug] there will give you an idea of what has already been reported and fixed. At a glance I did not find any reports connected with inability to delete ones own posts. Be sure to specify the version of your app and how to reproduce the problem.

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  • $\begingroup$ This is a great answer to the first question. It not just tells that there's a problem but also provides a solution! I'll accept it if you could add a sentence saying that deleting in review is appropriate. $\endgroup$
    – Ben
    Nov 16, 2016 at 22:27
  • $\begingroup$ I was unsure if you were asking about cases of self-deleting, about which there some policy restrictions covered in other Meta posts. Let me try to fit them into a short paragraph. $\endgroup$
    – hardmath
    Nov 16, 2016 at 22:38
  • $\begingroup$ You're right, a question which the OP wants deleted for no good apparent reason, after it being answered, is something completely different than an answer-post which basically says "Delete me; otherwise, I'll do it myself later". The latter is what I've experienced in the Low Quality queue, but I didn't make that clear in the question, my apologies. $\endgroup$
    – Ben
    Nov 16, 2016 at 22:47
  • $\begingroup$ I tweaked your title to this effect; I leave it to your judgement if more should be done with the body of the Question. $\endgroup$
    – hardmath
    Nov 16, 2016 at 22:49
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    $\begingroup$ Well, I don't think this phenomenon restricts to questions; Nitin's comment: "I think I'm writing a comment but I accidentally post an answer instead." I propose the following solution. When I see "i cant delete from mobile", I will post a comment with a link to this answer, giving instructions how to delete a post from android. $\endgroup$
    – Ben
    Nov 16, 2016 at 22:51
  • $\begingroup$ The "... more" link on answers (even my own) does not give a delete option for me. $\endgroup$
    – Nitin
    Nov 17, 2016 at 3:02
  • $\begingroup$ @Nitin: The discussion is that from the mobile app (at least the Android version), the "..." (more) link on Questions (even not your own) contains an Open-in-browser option. So if you want to delete your Answer (or your Question), it is recommended that within the app you use that to open the Question in a browser, then use the delete function you will find there (on the mobile version of the web page). $\endgroup$
    – hardmath
    Nov 17, 2016 at 3:07
  • $\begingroup$ My mistake. I meant to say that the "... more" link does not give me any options besides flag. $\endgroup$
    – Nitin
    Nov 17, 2016 at 3:10
  • $\begingroup$ Right, the more link on the corresponding Question can be used. $\endgroup$
    – hardmath
    Nov 17, 2016 at 3:11
  • $\begingroup$ Ah, sorry about that. But this link causes the app to crash. Not sure if this is just an issue for me or for others too. $\endgroup$
    – Nitin
    Nov 17, 2016 at 15:06
  • $\begingroup$ Something to try is resetting the default app to handle StackExchange URLs from the mobile app to your browser (you commented previously that clicking on links in the browser automatically redirects them to the app). I'll add a link for bug reporting about the app to my Answer. $\endgroup$
    – hardmath
    Nov 17, 2016 at 16:15

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