Google is preparing to launch one of its most anticipated features yet for Android users—an option to retract messages from both sender and recipient conversations through a “Delete for Everyone” function in its Messages app.
The feature, expected to land in May 2025 as part of a broader update, will offer users the ability to erase messages they regret sending—as long as they act within 15 minutes.
Once deleted, the text will vanish from both ends of the chat, replaced with “You deleted a message” on the sender’s screen, and “Message deleted by its author” for all other participants in the conversation.
The rollout will apply exclusively to Rich Communication Services (RCS) chats, meaning traditional SMS and unsupported versions of the Messages app will not benefit from the functionality. Both sender and recipient must be on the updated version that supports Universal Profile 2.7 for the feature to work.
Reports from beta testers had already hinted at the arrival of the deletion tool, with Android Authority confirming that it was primarily being tested in group chats between RCS-enabled devices.
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Users on older phones or non-RCS versions of Messages will remain outside the scope of this feature, with incompatibility potentially preventing complete message removal.
But message deletion is only the tip of the iceberg in what Google is calling a substantial overhaul of its native messaging app.
The May 2025 update introduces a suite of tools designed to make texting more interactive, secure, and personal.
Users will be able to customise their group chats beyond the standard profile photo collages, assigning bespoke icons for each group.
Chat bubbles and conversation backgrounds will also become user-adjustable, giving each thread a distinct visual identity.
A new visual twist comes in the form of Photomoji, a feature allowing users to turn their own photos into emoji-style reactions—blurring the line between communication and creativity.
Read receipts are also getting a slight visual tweak. The icon will now appear in the bottom-right corner of each message bubble, streamlining the interface.
Swiping gestures are being introduced to ease navigation: swiping left reveals the timestamp and encryption details of a message, while swiping right lets users quote or reply instantly.
Multimedia sharing has been refined too. A redesigned media picker merges the live camera and the image gallery into a unified screen, simplifying the task of snapping and sending in real time.
Users will also get a choice between sending photos and videos in “original HD+ quality” or an optimised version that saves data.
Google has not overlooked safety. A new on-device nudity detection system will flag potentially explicit content before users view it.
On the spam protection front, the app will now issue real-time scam alerts and includes a one-tap “Unsubscribe” button for SMS marketing messages.
These updates are rolling out across multiple regions, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Germany, and India.
For those juggling multiple phone numbers, dual SIM RCS support has finally arrived. Android users can now send and receive rich messages on either line from the same device—an enhancement that has been high on the wish list of many.
Completing the upgrade is an expansion of Magic Compose, a generative AI feature that now integrates directly into the suggested replies bar.
It will offer smart response suggestions as users type, enabling quicker, more relevant replies without leaving the keyboard.
With these changes, Google is not only aligning its Messages platform with rivals such as WhatsApp and Telegram but also setting a firmer stake in the future of RCS-based communication.
While the full deployment timeline remains under wraps, Android users can expect the upgraded experience to start rolling out globally in the coming weeks.
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