WhatsApp opens limited text message editing window for users

Text message editing - Person using WhatsApp app

The popular messaging app is providing users with a 15-minute window in which to correct what they send.

WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature in the popular messaging app that allows text message editing to become possible within the first 15 minutes after a message has been sent.

For anyone who would like to make immediate corrections to a message, this is a welcome addition.

It’s exceptionally commonplace to want to take back an unpleasant wording, correct a misspelling or typo, or otherwise correct details sent to friends, family, and others on a contact list. The new text message editing feature from WhatsApp will make it possible to repair, delete or add details to whatever has been said, provided it’s done within a quarter of an hour of having sent it in the first place.

Text message editing - Person messaging with WhatsApp

The new feature was recently announced on the app’s official blog, specifying that users have wanted to be able to correct misspellings, add further detail to what they said, or simply change what was initially said to the people they chat with through the application.

The new text message editing feature has not yet been rolled out to users, but it is on its way.

The ability to correct messages that have already been sent is rolling out to all users worldwide. It is a gradual rollout and will start becoming available to its first users within coming weeks, according to Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp and Facebook, among other brands.

To be able to change a message already sent through the app, simply press and hold on the message that needs to be corrected. From there, a menu will appear, within which “edit” is an option. By choosing that, it will become possible to change what has been sent so that it can be resent with updates.

Once the text message editing feature has been used, it will be labeled as having been “edited”, but it won’t be possible for the recipient to see the history of what was sent, only its most recent version, according to WhatsApp in the announcement blog post.

Leave a Comment


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.