Microsoft's GroupMe (beta) is finally getting the ability to delete messages

What you need to know

• Beta versions of GroupMe now have a delete messages feature.
• Message deletion should hit production releases in the coming weeks.
• This new feature may be part of a larger effort to grow GroupMe as a social network.

Microsoft's GroupMe messaging app is finally getting a long-overdue feature: being able to delete sent messages. The feature is now rolling out to beta versions of iOS, Android, and Windows 10 (UWP), and it should hit production in the coming weeks. (Windows 10 Insiders may have version 2.50.3.0 beta already).

The feature is quite simple: long-pressing on a newly sent message shows a menu with 'delete.' Unlike some other social networks, there is a skeleton message left indicating that a deletion has occurred.

While a basic feature, not all messengers are created equal (Telegram still has no 'like' feature for messages, ahem). Still, Microsoft seems to be showing renewed interest in GroupMe. A recent survey suggested that the developers are interested in adding publicly searchable groups, Google calendar integration, and even voice and video calling.

Adding the ability to delete messages is crucial to adding public groups to GroupMe as content moderation would have a much higher role than in private groups.

Currently, GroupMe is used extensively in the US on college campuses, although many also use it for hobbies and community projects. However, users must be invited to private groups, and there is no way to find ones based on your interest or location, which finally may be changing.