WhatsApp
users with fingers moving faster than their brain will be happy to know the
company’s rolling out a new feature that lets you retract that last message,
and wipe it from the conversation. Right now the feature is rolling out to
certain users, according to The Next Web.
According
to WhatsApp’s FAQ page, the anticipated delete feature allows you to expunge
that autocorrect fail or message sent to the wrong person from the record.
Everyone, whether chatting to one person or to a group, will see “This message
was deleted” in lieu of your earlier message. You’ve only got seven minutes to
strike your flub from the conversation, however. After that, you’re out of
luck.
To ensure you’re one of
the lucky users who can delete messages, you’ll have to make sure you’re using
an updated version of the app on your iOS, Android, or (ha!) Windows Phone
(again, ha!) device. Your chat recipient (or recipients) also need to update
WhatsApp to its latest version. After updating, you can check if you have the
feature by selecting a message under seven minutes old. iOS users will press
and hold on the message, select the Delete option, and then Delete for everyone
if it’s available. Android and Windows Phone users can select one or multiple
messages, select the Delete option, and then pick Delete for everyone.
Minor improvements do
need to be made before you rely on the chat-based undo button. Recipients can
see your message before you delete it, and there’s no way to verify whether or
not a message was successfully deleted from everyone’s conversation. Still, if
you’re a few drinks in and want to retract the romantic advance that was sent
to your tailor instead of your Tinder date, the undo button could be a
life-saver.
