Google Messages users are reporting a privacy-threatening bug that can send fragments of old conversations to unintended recipients. In the reported cases, a message being composed for one contact is replaced or supplemented with text apparently pulled from a separate, earlier chat.
The consequences can be serious. One user said a sexually explicit exchange with a former date was sent to their mother, while other reports describe verification codes and personal information being transmitted accidentally. The reports have appeared on Reddit and Google’s official Messages support forum.
A video shared on Reddit appears to show the issue occurring while a user attempts to send “We changed the door code.” Instead, Google Messages substitutes a completely different text that appears to come from an older conversation.
Common troubleshooting steps have not resolved the problem for every affected user. Clearing the app cache, rebooting a phone, turning RCS off and back on, and reinstalling Google Messages have all reportedly failed in some cases. Some users say a factory reset helped, but only when old messages were not restored afterward.
Google has said that information submitted by users has been passed to its engineering team for investigation. The company has not provided a fix timetable or specified the affected app versions, devices, or scale of the issue. Until more is known, users concerned about the reports may want to review outgoing messages closely; “Delete for everyone” may help where that option is available after an incorrect message is sent.
