You can only take back a message within two minutes of sending it. The recipient can read your message before you unsend it. If you unsend a message, it will disappear from the recipient's screen, but they'll be notified that you unsent it.
Thanks to a new iOS update, users can unsend iMessages in the Messages app. Make sure to act fast, though, because you can undo a recently sent message only for a short time—up to two minutes after sending it.
If you select Unsend for You, other people in the chat will still see the messages in their chat screen. If you select Unsend for Everyone, people included in the chat won't be able to see the unsent message.
When a contact unsends an iMessage they sent you, you'll see "[Contact Name] unsent a message" instead of the original message on iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, or macOS 13 Ventura (middle screenshot below). However, the message stays put on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or macOS 12 (right screenshot below).
Deleting messages changes only your own Messages conversations, not those of your recipients. Tip: Use Undo Send to retract a message you sent accidentally.
Go to Settings > General > Spotlight Search and turn on Messages, then enter the key words of the text messages in the Spotlight Search bar. You'll notice that the text conversations you have already deleted on iPhone shows up!
People unsend messages when they're sent by accident.
Maybe she sent you a message that was actually meant for a friend, or maybe she meant to message a different person with your same name. With the unsend feature, she might have just quickly removed the message so she wouldn't have to explain her mistake.
The removed message will be replaced by text alerting everyone in the conversation the message was removed. You will have up to 10 minutes to remove a message after it is sent. If you want to remove a message just for yourself, you can still do that anytime by selecting “Remove for You”.
Text messages are sent via your carrier, and once they leave your iPhone, Apple can't unsend them. Undo Send works only for iMessage, Apple's encrypted messaging service that works using Wi-Fi or cellular data.
Deleting a message on Android will delete the message for the other person.
There is no way to unsend a text message on Android once it has been sent.
Touch and hold the message bubble, then tap Undo Send. A note confirming that you unsent the message appears in both conversation transcripts: yours and your recipient's.
You'll be asked to confirm that you want to delete the message and, if you do so, your copy of the conversation is permanently erased. The recipient's copy is not deleted, which can be confusing if someone references the message later on.
Deleting or unsending messages to hide something: If someone deletes or unsends messages in order to hide something they said or did, it could be considered childish and dishonest. It's important to take responsibility for our actions and words, and not try to hide behind deleted messages.
You can unsend a recently sent message for up to two minutes after sending it. In the Messages app on your Mac, select a conversation. Control-click the message or attachment, then choose Undo Send. A note confirming you unsent the message appears in both conversation transcripts: yours and your recipient's.
Once you unsend a message, it will no longer be visible to people included in the chat. Keep in mind that the people you sent it to may have already seen your message. Note that your Data Download file doesn't include messages that you've unsent from your Instagram account.
Formal discovery requires a party to disclose anything asked by the other party which is relevant and within the control of the party. This includes text messages (unless they were deleted). Failure to answer discovery may result in the finding of contempt against the spouse.
In Messages, tap Edit on the conversations page. If you previously turned Message Filtering on, the Edit button doesn't appear. Instead, tap Filters on the conversations page. Tap Show Recently Deleted .
One of the reasons you may not be able to unsend a message after you've sent it is that the recipient blocked you. If you sent someone a message but didn't unsend it immediately afterward, they probably blocked you in the time that passed between sending and attempting to unsend.
On your Android device, go to a conversation and touch and hold your message. Tap Delete.
In most cases, you can't unsend a text message you've already sent on your Android. Once you send a text in your Android's built-in texting app, it's out of your hands.
Recall a message using Undo Send
Right after you send a message, you'll see the message "Sent" and the option to Undo. Tap Undo.