Google Messages now lets you edit a sent text, but there are a couple of caveats
Google Pixel 8a
If you use Google Messages on your Android device, you now finally have a way to change a sent text. Spotted by Phone Arena, a post on X from noted tipster AssembleDebug reveals that Google has started testing message editing in Google Messages, a feature first confirmed in February 2024.
The ability to edit a sent text has been available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac since 2022. This new beta test means Google Messages is finally catching up with Apple's iMessage, with the added bonus of supporting the popular Rich Communication Solutions (RCS), a format that Apple won't support until later in 2024.
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Like iMessage, Google Messages gives you just 15 minutes to edit a sent text. If you catch the text in time, the revision will appear in the conversation thread, while the original message should be visible in the details section.
Beyond the 15-minute deadline, there is another catch. For now, text editing in Google Messages is accessible only in the beta version of the app, meaning that both you and the recipient must have the beta. If you're game, here's how to try the new feature.
Browse to the Google Messages testing page and click the button for "Become a tester." Head to Google Messages' Play Store page. If the app isn't already on your device, download and install it. Otherwise, click the Update button to install the latest beta version.
Next, browse to the Carrier Services testing page and click the button for "Become a tester." Go to the Carrier Services page on the Google Play Store and install the app. (The Carrier Services app provides services that support RCS in Google Messages.)
To confirm that you're running the right beta version, go to Settings on your Android device, select Apps, and then tap Messages. Swipe down to the bottom of the App info screen for Messages. Under App Details, you should see the following string for the version: messages.android_20240506_04_RC00.phone.openbeta_dynamic.
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Any recipient who wants to join in on the action will have to perform the same steps. Once you're both set up with the beta of Google Messages, send that person a text. Within 15 minutes, long press on the message to trigger a toolbar. Tap the pencil icon, and you should see an option to edit the message. Revise the message however you want. Once you're done, tap the Send button to send the revision.
With the beta now available, we should see text editing eventually pop up in the regular version of Google Messages for all Android users. Google has a habit of keeping products in beta testing for quite a while, however -- as AssembleDebug noted, "it's in beta, so it's going to be a turtle speed rollout."