Google Messages Update: Beloved Missing Feature Set for a Big Comeback!

Google is consistently enhancing its Messages app, but sometimes the tech giant quietly removes beloved features that were previously available. Fortunately, one such feature may be making a triumphant return soon. Here’s what we know.

“It comes and goes…“: This seems to be a recurring theme with Google – and hopefully, this introduction doesn’t leave you with an earworm. Google, based in Mountain View, often has the (unfortunate) habit of quietly eliminating certain features, only to reintroduce them later.

This has happened before with a popular tool in the Photos app, which is set to return, as well as with the gesture used to turn off the Clock alarm, which was recently phased out but is now being worked on for reintroduction. The same scenario could now be unfolding with a key feature of Google Messages.

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A Critical Function of Google Messages is Set to Return

As a reminder, messages sent in RCS conversations within the Google Messages app used to allow both sender and receiver to view the history of edits by pressing and holding on the message and selecting “View details” from the contextual menu. However, this is no longer possible.

This feature discreetly vanished with the interface overhaul in July 2025. Some users noticed this change and voiced their complaints. But the tech giant might be making amends and reintroducing this essential feature—this is at least what code snippets spotted by our colleagues at Android Authority in version v20260121 of Google Messages suggest.

These text strings indicate that users might soon be able to revisit the edit history and see both the original messages and their edited versions. Our colleagues managed to activate this feature, and a preview is available below. Currently, it’s uncertain when—or if—Google will roll it out. However, given its development stage, it’s likely that it could soon reach the beta version.