Google Messages may let you delete messages for other people

LovabledanielsFebruary 7, 202570 Views

Google Messages will likely add the ability to unsend messages in its next update
Previously users could only delete messages from their own device
The feature is as-yet unreleased, with no fixed release date

Google Messages will soon allow you to unsend messages for other people, rather than just deleting them from your own device, if a new feature found in an upcoming update makes it to release.

An APK teardown by Android Authority found that users will soon be given two options when trying to delete a message, with the existing “Delete for me” function joined by “Delete for everyone”.

Google Messages is the stock messaging app of Android, and as such can be found preloaded on all the best Android phones, from the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra to the Google Pixel 9 Pro to the OnePlus 13.

This new unsend feature is already common in modern messaging apps like WhatsApp and within social media messaging services like Instagram DMs. However, until now, deleting an RCS message on Google Messages only removed it from one’s own device – the recipient or recipients could still see the message as originally sent.

It seems the Google Messages version of this feature won’t be quite as quiet as the competition – unlike WhatsApp, Instagram, and others, Google Messages will actively notify the recipients that a message has been deleted.

For our technically-minded readers, the new feature was found in unreleased code destined for Google Messages version 20250131_02_RC00. The unsend feature has specifically been added in line with RCS Universal Profile v2.7.

Google Messages has a prominent place in the Android ecosystem, and recently became the default messaging app for Samsung Galaxy phones. As PhoneArena notes, it’s important that Google’s messaging service maintains the features users expect as the competition becomes more concentrated.

WhatsApp remains the world’s most popular messaging service, with over two billion users worldwide, but Google Messages isn’t far behind – a Google blog post from 2023 celebrated the app passing one billion RCS-enabled users.

As my TechRadar colleagues may be able to attest, I know the feeling of having a joke in a busy group chat not stick the landing – I’m glad to see that Google Messages is giving users the option of a second chance when they need it (even if it does come with a rather conspicuous announcement).

And though it seems very likely to launch with the next version of Google Messages, the unsend feature described remains unreleased without a fixed release date, so the details contained in this story could change with time.