Google’s working on a Trash folder for Messages

Taylor Kerns / Android Authority

TL;DR Code in the latest Google Messages beta hints that the app may be getting a trash folder.

The folder could work similarly to Gmail’s, where trashed messages are held for 30 days before they’re automatically deleted.

We couldn’t activate any UI for this new feature; it may be in the early stages of development.

Google Messages might be getting a Trash folder for deleted messages. We’ve spotted code in the latest Messages beta build that makes multiple new references to “trashed conversations,” hinting that deleting messages could work differently in an upcoming update.

One new string in version messages.android_20251020_01_RC01.phone.openbeta_dynamic of Google Messages directly references a trash folder:

Code Copy Text Trash

There are also a couple of mentions of trashed conversations:

Code Copy Text CREATE TABLE trashed_conversations

Code Copy Text DROP INDEX IF EXISTS index_trashed_conversations_conversation_id

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