Home · Technology · Sep 9 archive
Google Chat won’t lose track of your unfinished messages anymore
Confirmed
In Short: Google Chat users can now benefit from persistent drafts, a feature that ensures your unsent messages remain intact, even if you close the app or switch devices.
Google Chat users can now benefit from persistent drafts, a feature that ensures your unsent messages remain intact, even if you close the app or switch devices. This update, which is currently rolling out, allows you to start writing a message on the web and continue it on your Android phone without losing your progress.
Previously, users often found themselves frustrated by the loss of their unfinished thoughts when switching between devices. With this new feature, unsent messages will persist in the compose box, and they will sync across your devices, making it easier to pick up where you left off.
Google has also introduced a new 'Drafts' shortcut that consolidates all your unfinished messages in one place, making it simple to manage and access your drafts from any device. This feature is particularly useful for work messages that require careful thought before sending.
The update addresses a common pain point for users, as some work messages require a bit of thought before hitting send. By saving drafts directly in the compose box, users can now take their time crafting their messages without the risk of losing their work.
While the feature is a welcome addition, it comes at a time when Google Chat is facing other issues. Recent reports have highlighted problems with RCS messaging and conversations turning into multiple threads, which have detracted from the positive aspects of the update.
What's still developing
- It’s a pretty basic feature, but it’s also one Google Chat probably should have had already.
- Update, September 2, 2026 (03:32 AM ET): Google has confirmed to us that it is working on a fix for this issue.
- Original article, August 31, 2026 (07:00 AM ET): Google Messages is getting some welcome attention with custom chat themes and selective text copying finally becoming available, but the app’s recent run of bugs is taking some shine off those additions.
- Besides broken RCS messaging and conversations turning into multiple threads, users are reporting a more worrying problem: Messages appears to be pulling old texts from unrelated conversations and attaching or sending them with new messages.
- A user starts a new conversation, only for Messages to insert a message from a completely different chat, sometimes from months or even years ago.
- These are community-reported workarounds, however, rather than fixes confirmed by Google, and a factory reset can result in lost data without a proper backup.
- Other reports mention verification codes, personal conversations, and messages sent to colleagues.
- The prosecution presented Mr Robinson's video gamer chats and text messages that they said proved the suspect killed Mr Kirk, because he was "fed up" with the "hate" spread by the influencer.