Google Messages May Get A ‘remote Delete’ Option Soon; First Look
In recent years, popular messaging services have received options that allow you to act on sent messages. This can avoid embarrassing situations where you accidentally send a message or simply allow you to correct the message if it has a mistake or you need to add more details. Google Messages is one of the services that still doesn’t have a “remote delete” option.
That said, a February leak revealed that Google is working on it. The Mountain View giant has been adding many new features to Google Messages for some time. This isn’t a coincidence, as the company was preparing the app for upcoming support for RCS chats between Android and iOS devices.
This is how the “remote delete” option will work in Google Messages
Currently, Google Messages only allows you to delete messages locally on your device. There’s still no way to delete messages you’ve sent by mistake. However, the Android Authority team explored the messages.android_20250317_01_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic build of the app and found some interesting things.
The remote delete option in Google Messages will be available within the current “Delete” menu. Instead of a pop-up requesting confirmation of message deletion, you’ll see two options: “Delete for everyone” and “Delete for me.” As its name suggests, the “Delete for everyone” option will allow you to delete the message for other parties, even in groups. This is similar to how the feature works in other popular messaging apps.
It’s worth noting that there will be a time limit for deleting a message. You can only do so up to 15 minutes after sending it. After that time, the “Delete for everyone” option will no longer be available. Additionally, since the feature is available thanks to recent updates to the RCS Universal Profile spec, it’s possible that it won’t be compatible with older phones.
There’s no date yet for the rollout of the remote delete option in Google Messages. Let’s hope the company doesn’t take long to send it to everyone. After all, it’s a very useful feature and practically indispensable in modern messaging.
