Google Messages users report old private texts being sent by mistake

Just as Google Messages picks up welcome features like custom chat themes, a much less welcome bug is spreading across Reddit: old texts from unrelated conversations resurfacing and attaching themselves to brand-new messages.

These problems are highlighted in many Reddit threads. The situation arises when a person begins a new thread, but the Messages app shows an old message from another chat on the side of a new text, image, or group message.

In some cases, the old message is not only shown on the screen; it even gets delivered to the wrong person.

A person who had a Google Pixel 9a received an old message about the private family matter when sending a new message about a dog's appointment with the vet. Also, one user found out that the old sexually inappropriate message was added to the new message sent to their mom.

There are also mentions of verification codes and private messages that get delivered to the wrong person. These problems occur with both Pixel and Samsung phones regardless of whether RCS is turned on or off.

Clearing cache of the app, restarting the phone, turning RCS off and on again, and reinstallation of the Messages app have not helped in stopping this bug from coming back. Some people say that performing a full factory reset without restoring any previous message back-ups has stopped the behaviour, while others say that simply reinstallation did the trick.

This solution, however, does not come from Google as a reliable solution, and the factory reset comes with risks if no back-up has been performed first.

Google has at least once acknowledged this problem and asked the user who reported the bug to send screenshots and provide in-app feedback about it.