Little by little, we’re bridging the gap between the Android and iOS ecosystems. Texting is one central area between the two platforms that has always dragged us back in time. On iPhones, iMessage comes with complete message editing, read receipts, reactions, and high-quality media. Android users have similar perks through Rich Communication Services in Google Messages. But across both platforms, communication isn't enviable.
If you text an iPhone, or vice versa, it usually falls back to the plain old SMS standard. Google is now rolling out an update that will allow you to edit messages sent to Apple's devices. It's not perfect yet, and it's not yet available to many users. However, it’s a significant step toward making cross-platform chats feel just as seamless as messaging within your ecosystem.
Go back in time and erase those cringey texts
The new messaging standard that will bridge Apple and Android phones in texting is called Universal Profile 3.0. You'll long-press a message that has already been sent and delivered, tap the pencil icon, and be able to alter what you sent, even if the recipient is using an iPhone.
There’s a 15-minute window to do it. It's more than enough time to brew yourself a cup of coffee and grab the papers from your mailbox. However, you want to be quicker about it if you don't want the recipient to catch your slip before you.
According to Android Authority, the feature works when the iPhone is running the latest stable version of iOS 18.5, the iOS 26 beta, or later versions (eventually). It also applies to both individual and group chats. It's still clunky where iPhones currently display the edit as a separate message with an asterisk (*). The other person still sees the original text for now.
So if you were to text “I hid the body in the woods” to anyone, it’s more likely that they’ll see the corrected version saying “I hid the bunny in the woods” after seeing the original version. In which case, you’ve probably won yourself an unwanted visit from the local authorities. But you'll be fine.
Related: Google Messages Is Giving Long Texts the Space They Deserve
What is the Universal Profile 3.0?
The Universal Profile 3.0 is part of a larger RCS rollout that has already introduced features such as typing indicators, text-to-911, and high-resolution photo sharing across Android and iPhone. It's the latest version of a messaging standard created by the GSMA, the global mobile industry association.
What it does is introduce end-to-end encryption (E2EE) using the Layer Security (MLS) system. Currently, this level of privacy only exists in iMessages between Apple-to-Apple devices or Android-to-Android chats using Google Messages.
Usually, when iPhone users text each other, no one else can read them. Not even Apple. But when they text Android users, iMessage switches to RCS. Hence, messages were no longer private in the same way and could potentially be accessed by your carrier, service providers, or anyone else.
