What you need to know
- Google Messages now adds a Trash folder, so you can recover deleted chats instead of immediately deleting them.
- Deleted conversations remain in the Trash for 30 days, with the option to restore or permanently delete at any time.
- New messages from a deleted chat appear as a refreshed thread and do not restore the original conversation.
If you’ve ever accidentally deleted a conversation in Google Messages, the app is now giving you a second chance to recover it.
When you delete a thread, it remains in the Trash folder for 30 days, after which it is automatically deleted. Of course, you can go in and permanently delete the thread at any time if you want. Similarly, you can also restore the conversation from here within that one month window.
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Now, when you tap the delete icon after selecting a chat, Google Messages will show a prompt that the chat is being moved to the Trash. To access it, you can tap the profile icon at the top right, where it appears under the ‘More from this app’ section below the Archived option.
You will be able to access the trashed chats, restore them or delete them permanently using the options available in the Trash folder.
It’s worth noting that if you receive a message from a trashed conversation, it will appear as a new thread in the main inbox and will not restore the original chat from the Trash folder.
This feature is now rolling out to Android phones. I was able to access it on version 20260403_00_RC00 of my app Oppo Find X9 Pro. If you don’t see it yet, you may need to update the app Google Play Store.
It’s good to see Google adding more features to Messages, especially as Samsung plans to phase out its own Messages app on Galaxy devices later this year. This comes after Google started testing the Mentions feature in the app.
Android Central’s Tech
This is one of those little features that should have been here a long time ago. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve accidentally deleted a chat. Google Messages now feels more complete by having a Trash folder.
