Google Messages: New Deletion Features Incoming

Summary of Changes

• Google Messages is adding new ways to delete RCS chats.
• You’ll be able to delete chats just for yourself or for everyone in the conversation.
• Recipients might be notified if a message is deleted or if there is an attempt to delete a message.

Details on the New Features

Background: RCS and Current Limitations

• The new features are being developed for RCS chats.
• Currently, when you delete a chat, it only disappears from your device. The other person in the conversation can still see it.

New Deletion Options

• Delete for Everyone: This will allow you to remove a message from both your device and the recipient’s device, similar to how it works on other messaging apps like WhatsApp.
• Delete for Me: This option will only remove the message from your device, as it currently works.

Code Evidence

• The information comes from the code found in Google Messages app version 20250131_02_RC00.
• The code suggests that the app will follow the RCS Universal Profile v2.7 standard. This was announced in June 2024.

Potential Notifications for Recipients

Notification Details

• Google Messages seems to be planning to notify recipients when a message has been deleted or when the sender tries to delete a message.
• This notification feature could be controversial for users who prefer not to have the other person informed when a deletion occurs.

Code Snippets (Examples)

• The following text was found in the app’s code, which suggests the following notification options:
  • "Message deleted by its author"
  • "You deleted a message"
  • "Sender attempted to delete a message"

Additional Information

Potential Feature Rollout

• It is not yet known when Google will release these new deletion features.
• However, the fact that the code has been found suggests that the launch could happen soon.

Importance of APK Teardowns

• APK teardowns are used to look at the code inside apps.
• They can help to figure out what new features might be coming in the future.
• However, it is possible that the predicted features might not be released.

Message Compatibility

• There is a note in the code saying that messages may still be visible to others if they are using an older version of the app.
• This highlights some compatibility issues that may occur when the feature is released.