Google Messages finally lets you unsend that embarrassing text
Google Messages finally catching on to WhatsApp and others.
We've all been there—accidentally sending a message to the wrong person or hitting send before thinking twice. For years, users of messaging platforms like WhatsApp, iMessage, and Telegram have enjoyed the ability to unsend messages.
Meanwhile, Google Messages has played catch-up. Thankfully, it is finally joining the party with its own "Delete for everyone" feature, which is currently rolling out in beta. Better late than never, right?
The feature, tied to RCS Universal Profile 2.7, allows users to delete sent RCS messages for all recipients within a 15-minute window.
For those wondering, RCS (Rich Communication Services) is an industry standard for messaging designed to enhance traditional SMS and MMS and provide a richer, more engaging messaging experience. It comes with perks like high-resolution photos, larger files, and sending messages over mobile data and Wi-Fi, similar to iMessage. It is available for most modern Android devices and select iPhones.
With this new delete feature joining the list of perks, if you've ever sent that unsolicited meme to your boss or accidentally texted your partner about your secret vacation plans, this update could save you from some serious awkwardness.
David Adubiina
The implementation should work similarly to other services: long-press the message you want to delete, tap the delete icon, and choose "Delete for everyone." However, it is currently unclear when Google plans to make the feature widely available.
Besides, when the feature is released to the public, recipients with older versions of Google Messages might still see deleted messages. This shows that the feature's effectiveness depends on all participants using the latest version of Google Messages.
Oluwaseun Bamisile
