Upcoming changes to how retention policies are applied to 1:1 direct messages in Google Chat

Google Workspace organizations use Google Chat for communication and collaboration, but currently, each organization in an external 1:1 direct message conversation can set their own retention policy. To provide a more consistent experience, Google is changing how retention policies are applied to 1:1 direct messages with external participants. From May 1, 2025, new external 1:1 direct messages will respect the retention policy of the conversation creator. Existing conversations will migrate to respect the creator's policy starting June 2, 2025. The migration is expected to be complete by August 1, 2025. If an organization has a Google Vault policy applied, they will not lose access to conversations, even if they no longer appear in the Chat interface. However, if an organization does not have Vault or a Vault policy, some conversations may no longer be available in Data Export or Vault. Admins should confirm their external chatting settings and ensure Vault policies are properly configured to preserve data. Impacted conversations will be preserved in Google Vault or Data Export for six months past the end of the migration. Admins can obtain a copy of all conversations not created by their organization by performing a Vault or Data Export after August 1, 2025.