WhatsApp Finally Allows Users To Edit Messages, But You'll Have To Act Fast

WhatsApp has answered the prayers of users who are always looking to change something in the message they just sent.

(Photo Courtesy: Meta)

WhatsApp has answered the prayers of users who are always looking to change something in the message they just sent.

The latest: The instant messaging platform has allowed users to modify a message within a limited window of 15 minutes, according to a Facebook post by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Monday, 22 May.

• The feature is already being rolled out to users globally, as per a blog post by the chat app's parent company.

• It will be available to everyone in a few weeks, Meta said.

In the chats: "All you need to do is long-press on a sent message and choose Edit from the menu for up to 15 minutes after," it added.

Yes, but: Recipients will be able to see that the message has been edited as any such message will carry an "edited" tag next to the timestamp.

• However, previous versions of edited messages and the correction history will not be visible to recipients.

(Photo Courtesy: Meta)

Why it matters: "From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we’re excited to bring you more control over your chats," the big tech company said. Notably, it said that edited messages will still be protected by end-to-end encryption.

So far, deleting the message or sending a separate correction was the only fix available to users.

• The time frame to delete a WhatsApp message was increased from 48 hours to 60 hours last year.

Late to the party? WhatsApp is playing catch-up as rival platforms Telegram and Signal have always offered users the edit button.

• iMessage users had also won the edit button as part of the iOS 16 update in 2022.

• Even Twitter bowed to demands and unveiled the edit option – albeit only for Twitter Blue subscribers.

Meanwhile, Tinder does not appear to have an edit or delete option but that could be by design.