Google Messages beta deletes contact photos for some users
By ForGeeks There’s a bug in the beta version of Google Messages that’s causing contact photos to disappear. This visual disturbance affects only a fraction of users so far, but it makes using the app noticeably less convenient.
Complaints have started appearing on forums and social networks: avatars in the chat list disappear and only initials are displayed instead. In the default Contacts app, however, all photos remain in place, indicating a problem in Google Messages.
Avatars are disappearing from the chat list, and only initials are showing instead.
Not the first bug, but more noticeable
Similar failures have happened before, but they were isolated – 1-2 photos disappeared from the general list. This time the bug looks bigger: the screenshots shared by users don’t show a single image, only letters.
According to discussions on TechIssuesToday, the problem occurred after installing the latest beta version of Google Messages with build number 20250505_04_RC00. Even the standard troubleshooting steps don’t help: neither clearing the cache, reinstalling the app, nor rebooting the device.
One user writes, “Deleted the updates and the photos came back. But in the morning it’s gone again.”
What you can do now
Although the bug doesn’t affect the stable version of Google Messages, it’s the beta program participants who are affected. For a temporary fix, Google is recommending that you exit testing:
- Open the Google Messages page in the Play Store.
- Scroll down to the “You are participating in beta testing” block.
- Click “Exit” and confirm the action.
- After that, update the application to a stable version.
Problems amidst previous glitches
Interestingly, the photo display glitch comes just two months after another bug in Google Messages: back then, users were getting a system notification about a Google Play Services update that didn’t actually exist. That bug also disrupted apps, including messaging.
The Google Messages beta removes contact photos from some users was first published on ITZine.ru.
