Recall a message
Remove a message or file you sent so other participants can no longer see it. Chat exports show it as recalled.
Who can do this: Everyone · Web, desktop, iPhone and Android
Overview
Things move fast in healthcare messaging. If you send something by mistake — wrong recipient, wrong file, wrong person's PHI — BloomText lets you recall the message so other participants can no longer see it.
Recalling a message replaces its content with "This message was recalled" for everyone in the conversation. If someone exports the chat later, the export shows the same note in its place.
Watch it
Watch how to recall a message sent to the wrong chat, then follow the steps.
Prerequisites
- You are the original sender of the message. You cannot recall a message sent by someone else.
- You can reach the message in your chat history (it hasn't been archived or cleared).
Steps
On the mobile app
Press and hold on the message or file you want to recall. The Message Options sheet appears. Tap Recall message, then confirm.
On the web or desktop app
- In the Inbox, open the chat that got the wrong message.
- Point at the message you sent by mistake.
- Click the three dots (Message actions) next to it.
- Click Recall message. You can only recall messages you sent yourself.
- Read the warning, then click Recall.
- The thread now says "This message was recalled" for everyone in the chat.
- A text already delivered to a patient's phone stays there. Recall only hides it in BloomText.
What "recall" actually does
Once recalled, the message body is gone for everyone in the conversation. The row itself stays, replaced by "This message was recalled" — so participants can see that something was there, but not what it said.
- The message's content is removed from every participant's view of the conversation, and replaced by "This message was recalled". BloomText keeps the original for auditing.
- A chat export shows "This message was recalled" or "This file was recalled" in its place.
- Both text messages and file messages (images, documents, voice notes) can be recalled.
Edge cases / gotchas
- Recall does not mean delete. If you sent PHI to the wrong person and it was already read on their device, assume the information is out. Recall prevents future viewing in BloomText; it does not undo memory, screenshots, or any copies already downloaded.
- Only the sender can recall. If you received a message in error, you cannot recall it. Ask the sender.
- Patient SMS is different. For messages sent to a patient via SMS, recall hides the message in BloomText but does not unsend the text on the patient's phone — carrier networks don't support that.
Common questions
Can I recall a message someone else sent?
No. Only the original sender can recall a message or file.
Does recall permanently delete the message?
Recall hides the message from every participant in BloomText, and chat exports show it as recalled. It cannot undo what someone already read or saved.
Can I recall files too?
Yes. Text messages and file messages, including images, documents, and voice notes, can be recalled by the sender.
Does recall unsend SMS messages?
No. Carrier SMS messages cannot be unsent. Recall affects what appears inside BloomText, not a text already delivered by a carrier.
What should I do if PHI was seen before recall?
Treat the information as disclosed. Recall prevents future viewing in BloomText, but it cannot undo screenshots, memory, or already downloaded copies.
Related flows
Referenced by
Group conversations with multiple participants
Add several patients, family members, caregivers, and staff to one secure conversation. Everyone messages in the same thread, each reply is labeled by sender, and the history stays on your organization account.
Chat with other organizations
Invite people at other organizations to BloomText. External collaboration is free and unlimited; external users don't count against your seat limit.