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Google Messages Will Now Let You Edit Texts When They're Sent Over RCS

The new Android feature matches Apple's iMessage edit feature, with similar rules for how long you can make changes.

Headshot of Mike Sorrentino
Headshot of Mike Sorrentino
Mike Sorrentino Senior Editor
Mike Sorrentino is a Senior Editor for Mobile, covering phones, texting apps and smartwatches -- obsessing about how we can make the most of them. Mike also keeps an eye out on the movie and toy industry, and outside of work enjoys biking and pizza making.
Expertise Phones |Texting apps | iOS | Android | Smartwatches | Fitness trackers | Mobile accessories | Gaming phones | Budget phones | Toys | Star Wars | Marvel | Power Rangers | DC | Mobile accessibility | iMessage | WhatsApp | Signal | RCS
Mike Sorrentino
2 min read
Screenshot of editing a message in Google Messages

Google Messages is adding the ability to edit a text when it's sent over RCS.

Google

Google Messages is adding the ability to edit messages after they're sent, which will initially bring more flexibility for texts between Android phones.

The new edit feature was announced in a Thursday blog post alongside a number of new Android features, which will allow for adjustments to texts that are sent over RCS between Android phones. These conversations will allow for edits for up to 15 minutes after a text has been sent.

In order to edit a text, you tap and hold a recently sent text, tap the pencil icon and then the ability to rewrite the message will appear.

Google's new edit feature matches a similar edit feature already available inside of Apple's iMessage as well as in chat apps like Meta's WhatsApp and Messenger. Bringing it to Google's default texting app provides Android phones with a quick way to fix typos and other inaccuracies, but this new feature won't apply to SMS and MMS conversations such as those between an Android phone and Apple's iPhone.

Apple is set to support the RCS texting standard later this year, which should allow for a more feature-rich texting experience that would support typing indicators, better group chats and higher-quality media sharing without needing to use a third-party texting app. However some of the features that Google uses RCS for are exclusive to its own Messages app on Android, and it's unknown at this time if editing a text would be supported between the iPhone and Android. RCS support is also currently limited to the Google Messages app on Android, and it isn't yet supported in most third-party Android texting apps nor basic phones.

The new editing feature will start rolling out to Android phones Thursday.

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