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How to Delete Links in Messages on iPhone and Android

Remove a link by deleting the message that contains it. These iPhone and Android steps explain local deletion, Shared with You, and the limits of unsending.
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To delete a link in Messages, delete the message that contains the URL. On iPhone, that removes it from your own conversation history but normally leaves the recipient’s copy unchanged. In Google Messages, touch and hold the link message and choose Delete; if the app offers a choice, read whether deletion applies only to you or to everyone before confirming.

First decide what you want to remove

A shared URL can appear in more than one place. Choose the result that matches your goal:

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Goal What to do What changes
Remove the link from your conversation Delete the message containing the URL. It disappears from your copy of the thread. Other participants may still have it.
Hide links surfaced in Apple’s supported apps Turn off Shared with You for that conversation. The content stops being surfaced in supported apps; the message remains in the conversation.
Remove the link from other people’s chats Use Unsend on a supported Apple message or Delete for everyone in Google Messages when that option is offered. Availability depends on the app, message type, chat and recipient compatibility.

Delete a link in Apple Messages on iPhone

Remove the message from the conversation

  1. Open Messages and select the conversation.
  2. Find the message containing the link.
  3. Use the message’s deletion command and confirm when prompted.

Apple says you can delete text messages, attachments and entire conversations from your iPhone “anytime, without affecting what your recipients see.” See Apple’s instructions for deleting messages and attachments.

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Find a link before deleting it

In a conversation, tap the contact or group icon at the top, then open the Links category. Apple documents this view for locating links shared in the thread: Share content in Messages on iPhone. Finding a URL there does not delete it; return to the message and remove the message itself.

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Hide Shared with You content instead

If your concern is a link appearing in Safari or another supported app rather than the message remaining in the thread, open the conversation details and turn off Shared with You. This changes where shared content is surfaced, not the conversation history. Apple’s feature overview is at Share content in Messages on iPhone.

Delete a link in Google Messages on Android

  1. Open Google Messages and open the conversation.
  2. Touch and hold the message containing the URL.
  3. Tap Delete.
  4. If Google Messages presents more than one deletion scope, choose the intended option, such as deleting only for you or deleting for everyone, then read and confirm the warning.

Google’s quick-actions guidance specifically includes links among the message types that can be selected by touching and holding: Touch and hold to access quick actions in Google Messages. Google also notes that deleted messages or conversations may be unrecoverable through the documented flow; its management guidance is at Archive, delete and read conversations in Google Messages.

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Can you retract a link from recipients?

Deleting a message locally and unsending it are different operations. A local deletion changes your device’s view; it does not reliably remove a copy already delivered to someone else.

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iPhone message types and compatibility

Apple’s edit and unsend features apply only in supported circumstances. SMS, MMS and RCS do not generally receive the same iMessage edit or unsend treatment, and recipients using older operating-system versions may see an edited message differently. Check Apple’s current feature and compatibility notes in Use Messages on your iPhone or iPad before relying on unsend.

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Google Messages deletion scope

Google Messages may show a Delete for everyone choice for some chats. Do not assume recipients lose the URL unless that option is actually displayed and successfully confirmed. If it is absent, deleting the message removes it only from the scope stated in the confirmation prompt.

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If the link still appears

  • You deleted the message but still see a preview: Check whether you are viewing a separate Shared with You surface; disable that conversation’s setting on iPhone if hiding the surfaced item is the goal.
  • You cannot find the message: Use the conversation’s Links category on iPhone, or scroll the relevant Google Messages thread and touch and hold the original message.
  • You expected the recipient’s copy to disappear: Verify that you used a supported unsend or delete-for-everyone action. Ordinary deletion on your own phone does not change what recipients see.
  • You are unsure whether deletion can be reversed: Read the confirmation dialog first. Google warns that deleted messages or conversations may be unrecoverable.

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