Google Messages Gets Snooze, Delete for Everyone: Here’s What It Means for You

Google, in its latest major update, is rolling out "Snooze" and "Delete for Everyone" buttons. The update, which is currently being sent out to more users around the world, is a big step in making the app's RCS-powered chat experience easier to use and more controllable.

With Snooze Notifications, users can now "snooze" particular message threads, which stops notifications for those discussions and sets a reminder for later.  It's like putting a bookmark in a discussion you want to remember but can't respond to right away. You can snooze your messages for one hour, eight hours, 24 hours, or Always. The Snoozed conversation will be greyed out with the selected time or date shown below. The other party in the chat will not be informed that you snoozed the chat. To undo the snoozing, just long-press and tap the clock icon again.

Delete for Everyone, like WhatsApp, gives you the option to remove sent messages from both your device and the recipient’s, but only for messages sent within a stipulated period. Also, it is restricted to RCS chats. 

These latest features finally make Google Messages like WhatsApp and iMessage, which have had this feature for years.

What does it mean for you as users 

The latest update makes Google Messages smarter and in line with other leading messaging services like iMessage and WhatsApp. Google Messages didn't have as many smart features as other messaging apps for a long time. 

These two new features may seem small, but they show that Google is working hard to make its RCS messaging more competitive, especially since Android users still can't use iMessage. The Snooze feature is great for people who have to deal with a lot of conversations in both their personal and professional lives. It lets them have their pause and makes sure that essential messages don't get lost in the cacophony. The Delete for Everyone adds a safety net that is very much required.  Users now have more control over their digital chats, whether it's a typo, a message that didn't get through, or something more serious.

But there’s a catch 

Delete for Everyone only works if both people have RCS turned on.  In other words, if someone in your conversation doesn't have RCS or has it turned off, your message won't go away. 

Snooze reminders are helpful, but right now, they seem a little hidden in the UI and might not be evident to most users unless they are actively looking for them. 

Google is working to make RCS (Rich Communication Services) the standard substitute for SMS. This upgrade adds message management to features like typing indicators, read receipts, and encryption. 

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