How-To

How to Unsend an Email in Gmail on iPhone or Android

By Brian Burgess

Updated April 15, 2024

Regretted an email you’ve just sent? If you’re using Gmail, you can unsend it (if you’re quick). Here’s how to unsend email in Gmail on iPhone or Android.

We’ve all sent an email in haste and immediately regretted it. Perhaps your email was too lengthy, ranted about a topic, used poor grammar, or you sent it to the wrong person.

We’ve shown you how to unsend an email in Gmail from the desktop. In this guide, we’ll show you how to do it from the Gmail app on your iPhone or Android device.

Whatever the reason for wanting to unsend or recall an email, you can save yourself the embarrassment using Gmail’s Undo send feature.

How to Unsend an Email in Gmail on iPhone or Android

Whether you use an iPhone, iPad, or Android device, the Gmail app on mobile allows you to unsend email messages. Once you send an email, you have 30 seconds to change your mind.

To unsend emails in Gmail on mobile:

1. Open the Gmail app on your phone or tablet.
2. Tap the Compose button.
3. Choose a contact, type a subject, and draft the email message you want to deliver.
4. Press the Send button in the top right corner.
5. For the first couple of seconds, you can tap the Cancel button on the left side of the notification bar to terminate the action.
6. If you cannot tap the Cancel option quickly enough, you have an additional five seconds to tap the Undo button on the notification bar to recall the email.
7. You’ll see an Undoing message at the bottom of the screen indicating the message is being recalled.
8. The Gmail app will return you to the email you drafted so you can make changes before resending or deleting the message outright.

How to Increase the Unsend Time on Android

If the default time of five seconds to unsend an email on Android isn’t enough, you can increase it by enabling the send confirmation setting. This workaround allows more time to decide on sending a message.

To increase the Gmail unsend time:

1. Tap the menu button (hamburger menu) in the top left corner of the app.
2. Swipe to the bottom of the menu and select Settings.
3. Select the General Settings option.
4. Swipe down and select the Confirm before sending option.
5. Once you choose the setting, you’ll see a confirmation dialog the next time you send a message.
6. Tap OK to send the message or select Cancel if you change your mind and delete the message or make further edits.

Using this option provides more time to consider whether or not to send the email message. And if you want even more time, you can schedule messages in Gmail to go out hours or days later.

Using Gmail on Your Phone or Tablet

If you are in a situation where you want to get a hastily configured email message back, you can unsend emails in Gmail on your mobile device using the above steps. Also, Android users can increase the allotted time by using the Confirm before sending option in Gmail settings.

If you’re an Apple user having problems receiving emails, you can fix Gmail not working on iPhone. Are you not getting notifications? Learn to fix Gmail not sending notifications on iPhone or Android.

If you’re having problems with attachments, check out how to fix Gmail not letting you attach files. And if you need to manage emails while traveling abroad, learn how to change the default time zone in Gmail.