WhatsApp unveils new 'unsend' feature
October 28, 2017
Clumsy texters the world over can breathe a sigh of relief, as messaging service WhatsApp unveiled its latest function to remove potentially embarrassing text messages from group chats.
The Facebook-owned app is gradually rolling out a function that allows users to "delete messages for everyone."
"This is particularly useful if you sent a message to the wrong chat or if the message you sent contains a mistake," WhatsApp states in a new guide to the feature on the app's Frequently Asked Questions page.
Users are instructed to press the message to be deleted and choose the "delete for everyone" option from the menu.
Users have seven minutes to rescind their message, after which point there's no way to take it back.
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Gone...but not without a trace
There are a few snags in WhatsApp's new feature apart from its time limit.
The content itself will be deleted, but it will be replaced with a text that reads "This message was deleted" that all recipients can see.
Additionally, the function only currently works for those with the latest version of the app for Android and iPhone — and it's only being released to certain users at first.
WhatsApp users around the world, though, started testing whether the much-awaited delete option had reached their country, with users in South American countries reporting success on social media.
One Twitter user noted that the function was already working in Germany: