- WhatsApp "Delete for Everyone" can be thwarted
- The new method requires third-party app, or stock widgets
- The deleted messages can be accessed via notification log
WhatsApp, one of the most widely used instant
messaging apps, rolled out "Delete for Everyone" feature recently.
But do deleted messages really disappear from the phone? A new report claims
that WhatsApp messages that are deleted are actually still on the device and
can be easily accessed.
Spanish Android blog Android Jefe has claimed that
deleted messages are present in the notification log of the device. It adds
that the recipient can easily access the deleted messages regardless whether it
has been deleted from sender's end. "What we found is that the messages
are stored in the notification register of the Android system. So, it's just a
matter of entering that record to see the messages that the other person
deleted," the blog said.
The blog explains that anyone can access deleted
WhatsApp messages sent to them via a third-party app named Notification History
which can be downloaded via Google Play. After downloading the app, users will
have to search the message in the Android notification log. Those users who are
using third-party launchers like Nova Launcher it's even easier. The
notification log can be accessed without the need of an additional app. Long
press the home screen, then tap on Widgets > Activities > Settings >
Notification log. You can then access the system's notification log. Similarly,
on stock Android, a Settings widget can give access to the notification log as
well.
Gadgets 360 tried both the Notification History
third-party app and the Activities method described above. discovered that the
trick worked on an Android device. There are few limitations, however, as the
messages that have generated a notification on the device can be retrieved. The
notification log only saves the messages on the device until it's restarted.
Once restarted, we noticed that the log was cleared.
The method, however, has a restriction that only the
first 100 characters of the deleted message will be visible. The feature is
available only for users running Android 7.0 and above. Users can only retrieve
text which means any kind of media file cannot be recovered.
This is not the first time that reports of
retrieving deleted messages have surfaced. Jonathan Zdziarski, iOS expert, last
year has claimed that WhatsApp saved chat logs on the device despite it being
archived or deleted.
One of the biggest use cases of the Delete for
Everyone feature has been when a user send a message to the wrong chat, or if
the message sent contains a mistake. It is the latest feature added to WhatsApp
in a long list of features introduced this year, and is biggest change to the
chat app since blue ticks aka send receipts.
