Google Chat won't lose track of your unfinished messages anymore

Some work messages require a bit of thought before you hit send. You might be writing a long project update, carefully wording some feedback, or simply need to come back and finish the message later. The annoying part is putting all that thought into a Google Chat message, only to find that your unfinished text is gone when you return.

Google is now fixing that with persistent drafts in Chat. Unsent messages will remain saved directly in the compose box, even if you close Chat or restart your device. So, you can leave a message halfway through, come back later, and continue exactly where you stopped.

More importantly, those drafts will sync across your devices. You could start writing a message in Google Chat on the web, leave your desk, and finish it later on your Android phone without copying the text somewhere else first.

Google will save a separate draft for each conversation, and a new Drafts shortcut brings all your unfinished messages together. That should be useful if you start writing a reply, get pulled into another conversation or meeting, and completely forget to finish it. Drafts will stick around for up to 30 days.

It’s a pretty basic feature, but it’s also one Google Chat probably should have had already. Work messages aren’t always something you can type and send immediately, and being able to leave an unfinished message without worrying about losing it makes Chat a little more practical for everyday work.

Google has already started rolling out persistent drafts to Chat users on the web. The Android and iOS rollout will happen gradually over the next couple of weeks and should be completed by September 28. Persistent drafts will be available to Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts.