While iMessage is getting the option to “unsend” messages for the first time with iOS 16 beta, WhatsApp already provides a similar feature. However, the Meta (Facebook)-owned messaging app is now releasing an update that will let users delete messages up to two days after they were sent.
Deleting sent messages on WhatsApp
The change in the option to delete sent messages was announced by WhatsApp itself on its Twitter profile. According to the company, users will now have two days to decide to unsend a message in a private or group chat.
More specifically, WhatsApp users will have two days and 12 hours to delete a message after sending it. Previously, this limit was only one hour, eight minutes, and 16 seconds – that was specific. In order to delete a message sent in WhatsApp, all you need to do is tap and hold on it for a few seconds, then tap the “Delete” button.
Interestingly, while WhatsApp is increasing the time users have to delete a message, Apple is going in the opposite direction with iMessage. In the first beta versions of iOS 16, users had 15 minutes to unsend a message. Now with the latest betas, this limit has been reduced to only two minutes.
The feature has been quite controversial as some users believe that options to edit and unsend messages can be used for malicious purposes. This also led Apple to add a change history for edited messages in iMessage. Meanwhile, the popular WhatsApp and iMessage competitor Telegram lets users edit and delete messages without any limits.
As noted by MacMagazine, WhatsApp has also been working on a feature to let group admins delete messages from any users. However, this feature is still only available for beta users at this point. More recently, WhatsApp has released an official migration tool from Android to iOS and vice versa, as well as a new beta app for macOS users.
WhatsApp is available for free on the App Store. It requires an iPhone running iOS 12 or later.
