The Google Contacts site is picking up a new feature: Trash. No, we’re not saying Google Contacts is garbage, we mean Trash as in a trashcan, like a place deleted stuff goes to before it’s actually thrown away. Google Contacts’s new Trash feature will store ostensibly deleted contacts for 30 days before it truly gets rid of them, giving you a grace period to recover them should it happen accidentally. However, the feature is web-only for now.
The new Trash folder will appear on the left-hand menu or sidebar at the bottom of the list, under “other contacts.” In it, you’ll find contacts deleted in the last 30 days. Selecting individual contacts gives you the option to recover them or delete them permanently. The reason for their deletion is also stated, indicating whether it happened via the web or an app.
The resolution of Google’s GIF leaves something to be desired, but you get the idea.
The feature isn’t live for me on any of my accounts yet, but that’s not too surprising; Google claims it’s available starting today, with a full rollout happening in the next two weeks for all G Suite customers and personal Google accounts. Again, it’s web-only, for now, so don’t expect to see it appear in your Google Contacts app on Android — though the site will show contacts you delete from the app, and Google implies in the announcement that it may come to the mobile apps later.
