In this age of social media messaging apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, and Telegram, an app that many don’t remember or know about is GroupMe. GroupMe, founded in 2010 and acquired by Microsoft in 2011, is a group messaging app. Much like WhatsApp, GroupMe is primarily a group chat room but does allow you private one-to-one chats and is an option to stay in touch with family and friends as a group.
GroupMe does differ from WhatsApp and Telegram in some regards, one difference being there are no read receipts on GroupMe. So you will not be able to tell if and when someone has read your message.
But as with any group messaging software, doubts will come to our mind, such as how to delete messages in a group in the app. Well, fret not, this article will tell you how to do so in an instant.
Deleting an Individual Message in GroupMe
Deleting a single message in GroupMe on Android or iOS is very simple.
- You have to choose which group or private chat you want to delete the message from.
- Select the message to be deleted by long-pressing the message. Or just click on the three dots near the message.
- Tap on Delete, and tap on Delete once more. Now you have deleted the message. Now, no one in the group will see the deleted message. Instead, a notification that a message has been deleted will be shown.
An important point to be noted is that once a message has been sent, the user has 60 minutes to delete it. This is another difference when it comes to WhatsApp and GroupMe, as WhatsApp allows for up to two days to delete a message.
What if you want to hide that message from your view? You can do that as well.
Hiding and Unhiding a Message in GroupMe
Hiding a message is very easy to do in GroupMe.
- Select the chat in which the message to be hidden is.
- Tap and hold on the message to be hidden until the option to hide pops up.
- Select the Hide option.
To unhide a message is also quick and easy.
- Select the group profile.
- Select the Settings icon.
- Now select the Unhide Hidden Messages option.
If you log out and log back in, your hidden messages will be unhidden. Also, you can not hide messages on the GroupMe web app.
Now, you feel like you want to delete an entire group chat. What can you do? Let’s see.
Deleting a Group Chat or DM in GroupMe
The fact of the matter is that you can not just delete a group chat. Only direct messages(DMs) can be deleted. You can leave a group if you wish to or end a group if you are the creator of that group. Ending the group automatically deletes a group permanently, so beware.
Deleting or hiding DMs on Android and iOS are quite similar.
- In your chat list, tap and hold on to the DM you wish to delete. On iOS, swipe left on the DM you wish to delete.
- Tap on Delete.
We found that you can not delete group chats without ending them. Then how do we get them out of our chat list? Well, archiving them is an option.
How to Archive Group Chats and DMs in GroupMe
Archiving your chats is pretty simple.
- Find the chat you want to archive from your chat list.
- Tap and hold on the chat, and tap on Archive. On iOS, swipe left on the chat and tap on Archive.
How to Unarchive a Chat in GroupMe
- Tap on your profile picture.
- Find the Archive option.
- Tap on it to view your archived chats.
- Find the chat you want to unarchive and tap on Unarchive next to the chat name.
The steps for unarchiving are the same on both Android and iOS.
Conclusion
Even though GroupMe is a little behind on private message functionality, it is a great tool for classes, work meetings, and other group settings. Some other differences between WhatsApp and GroupMe are the inability to send media of more than 50 MB and not being end-to-end encrypted in the case of GroupMe. But simplicity-wise, GroupMe is slightly superior, and you can also message someone who is not on GroupMe as well.
Also, leaving groups once your reason to be in it is over is somewhat difficult, as mentioned above. GroupMe is available on Android and iOS but is only available as an app for Windows desktops. All-in-all, GroupMe is mostly suited for people who do not want much private messaging functionality such as sending temporary media, audio clips, documents, seeing someone’s last seen, etc. Telegram is also another option if WhatsApp and GroupMe do not work for you.
GroupMe is an excellent option if you want to set it up for group settings mainly. We hope you learned how to delete messages permanently in GroupMe, as well as how to delete whole chats and archive them.
