Google Messages Might Finally Let You Recover Deleted Messages

Google Messages may soon give Android users a feature they’ve long been waiting for – the ability to undo a message deletion. At the moment, once you delete a text in Google Messages, it’s gone forever, with no way to bring it back.

But new findings suggest Google is building a system similar to the Gmail trash bin, offering a brief grace period to rescue messages you didn’t mean to erase.

A second chance for your deleted chats
Just like Gmail’s 30-day trash folder, the upcoming Google Messages update may include a dedicated “Trash” section that stores deleted conversations temporarily before they vanish for good. According to Android Authority, recent code snippets from the beta version of the app reveal mentions of a “trash folder” and “trashed conversations.” Although the feature is not yet visible in the app, this hidden development shows Google is working on the groundwork for a smarter, safer message management system.

Imagine deleting a message during a stressful moment, only to regret it seconds later. Many users have experienced that sinking feeling – whether they removed an important text by accident or deleted a conversation in anger. Having a safety net could be a real relief. Even if Google follows Gmail’s 30-day limit, that’s plenty of time to recover something essential or reconsider what you truly wanted to erase.

Archiving vs. deleting – and why it matters
Currently, Google Messages already supports archiving. Archiving hides conversations from your main view while keeping them intact, ready to be restored at any time. However, that’s not the same as recovering a deleted message. Once you hit delete, it’s a permanent action. With the rumored trash folder, Google aims to bridge that gap, creating a middle ground where users can undo mistakes or revisit old messages before they disappear permanently.

Google Messages is evolving fast
This potential update continues Google’s streak of steady improvements to its default messaging app. In recent months, Google Messages introduced easier access to photos, a visual redesign inspired by Material You (Material 3), and even safety tools that warn users about suspicious or inappropriate videos. The addition of a trash system would align it more closely with other Google services and highlight the company’s push to make its messaging platform not only powerful but forgiving.

If the feature rolls out widely, it could change the way people interact with texts on Android. No more panic after a mis-tap, no more lost memories because of a rushed cleanup. Instead, Google Messages could finally offer the kind of reliability users have come to expect from Gmail – proving once again that even a simple chat app can learn a few new tricks from its email cousin.