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Google begins rolling out the “Delete for Everyone” feature in its native Messages app for Android, closing a key gap with rivals and bolstering user control over sent content. The feature, initially spotted in beta on May 8 and confirmed in wider beta channels by May 10, lets users retract text and media in RCS group chats, replacing the deleted item with a “This message was deleted” placeholder across all devices. Are users going to be happy about this eerily-similar WhatsApp deletion announcement is yet to be seen.
Users on the Google Messages beta (version 12.0 and above) can long-press any sent message in an RCS-enabled group chat to reveal two options: “Delete for me” or “Delete for everyone.”
Selecting the latter removes the message from every participant’s device, helping prevent the spread of typos, mis-sent texts, or sensitive information. Moreover, the feature applies to text, images, and other media, and provides a 15-minute window after sending in which messages can be retracted.
Google has begun a staggered beta rollout, first to a subset of beta users on May 8, expanding to more testers and then stable users over the coming weeks. To access the feature, users must enable RCS (Rich Communication Services) chat features in Settings and run the latest Google Messages beta.
All deletion processing is handled on-device, ensuring that unsent content never persists on Google’s servers. However, users are cautioned that recipients on older app versions or non-RCS clients may still see the original message before deletion. Google has indicated it will monitor error rates and user feedback to refine the feature ahead of a full release.
