The internet has gone through several changes in the last decades. From message boards to dedicated chat websites, many things would seem archaic now. most of it changed for the better, but there are still vestiges of the old days.
To see what websites like aol, yahoo, or even google were like when they first launched, the wayback machine is a fantastic tool. internet archive is also a great place to get millions of free books, music and more. tap or click here to find out how to use this great free site.
Turns out the internet archive isn’t the only site that keeps records from years past. But not all historical jobs are something you want to make available, like your online chat history. Believe it or not, but Google actually does keep records of your old chat logs. read on to learn how to view and remove them.
here’s the backstory in the chat
In the past, one of the most used chat applications was google talk. It apparently revolutionized communication as you could chat with anyone who had a google account and you could do it from gmail.
The service launched in 2005 and lasted 10 years until Google pulled the plug, urging users to switch to its cross-platform chat app Google Hangouts and eventually to Google Chat. the service may have long been forgotten, but it turns out your chat history isn’t.
Google stores all your old communications in your gmail account and if you do a little digging, you might find them going back 15 years. it also indexes your google hangouts chat, so they will be there too.
how to find your chat history
If you want to take a trip down memory lane, here’s how to access your chat history:
- open gmail on your desktop
- in the left panel, click more
- scroll down until you see chats and click on it
- the screen will display all your chats that have been archived
- clicking on a conversation will open the thread
at the top right of the screen, you will see a counter of how many chats are stored in your account. each subject line will also have a timestamp, making it easier to classify. By clicking the search bar at the top, you can search your chats for something specific. just remember to keep “in:chats” on the slash.
if you want to delete your chats:
- on the main chat index page, click the squares to select any message.
- below the search bar, click the trash can icon.
- to select all conversations, click the square directly below the search bar.
- click the trash can icon.
if successful, gmail will display a notification that the conversations have been moved to the trash. there is also some other information: “since some are part of a hangout, they were removed from your gmail mailbox, but may still appear in other hangout apps and chat windows.” this means that some conversations could still be seen in other places, such as third-party applications.
disable chat history
If you don’t want Google to save your chats, you can turn history on or off. to do this:
- open gmail on your desktop
- open any conversation
- click settings
- check or uncheck chat history
- click ok
When history is off, messages will only be visible for a short time and since they are not saved, they will be deleted. Google warns that if you talk to someone who uses a different chat app, their app may keep a separate copy of your conversation history.
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