Whatsapp Users can now Delete Sent Messages Within Seven Minutes

Most users of messaging app Whatsapp must have at one point in time sent an embarrassing message they wished they could retract or perhaps sent messages to the wrong receiver they could not take back. That has changed as Whatsapp has added a new feature to its messaging app called  Delete for everyone

The new feature is essentially an extension of a previous feature that lets you delete messages, but only for yourself. However, it was pretty much ineffective if you had just sent a message to the wrong person, as the recipient could still see it. But with the new update, however, when you delete a message, it means that everyone will no longer be able to see it.

This latest feature only works in the latest update of WhatsApp, and all participants in the conversation must have this latest update for it to work. But due to the slow rollout of this new update, users are still advised to probably double check their messages before sending for the time being.

As noted by WABetaInfo, the rollout of Delete for Everyone is proving “very slow”. That means the update is yet to reach all Whatsapp users.

“If Delete for Everyone isn’t available yet for you, it’s all ok,” tweeted WABetaInfo over the weekend. “Don’t worry. In the next week there will be other rolls out to get the feature.”

That said, even if you are using the latest version of WhatsApp, you might not be able to use Delete for Everyone.

An FAQ page on WhatsApp’s website explains that both you and the person you’re chatting to need to be using the latest version of the app, in order for Delete for Everyone to work.

What’s more, it only applies to messages that are no more than seven minutes old. If you try to delete something you sent eight minutes ago, you won’t be able to.

However, WhatsApp also says there’s a chance the person you’ve been chatting to may see your message before you try to revoke it, and that you will not be notified if one of your attempts to use Delete for Everyone is unsuccessful.

Despite its limitations, Delete for Everyone is a very handy feature that has the potential to rescue lots of users from embarrassing or awkward situations.

“This is particularly useful if you sent a message to the wrong chat or if the message you sent contains a mistake,” reads the WhatsApp FAQ.

It is worth noting that lately, WhatsApp has been aggressively introducing new features within their application and is also stepping in the social media realm by introducing features like stories. The consistent rise in a smartphone’s computational power is enabling applications like WhatsApp to delve into other genres of communication.

Though many popular applications offer services like conference video and voice calls much before WhatsApp, the sheer size of the user-base makes the feature an instant hit. The application has 1 billion daily active users and around 1.3 billion monthly active users.

The Live Location feature was also offered by various applications like Messenger, Google Maps, Telegram etc. but with WhatsApp adopting it, the feature might finally get a broader audience.