How It Works: WhatsApp Feature For Editing Messages Even After Sending

WhatsApp users now have the power to edit the details of a message sent through the platform, avoiding cases of messages sent by mistake.

Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, through Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg announced the new edit feature which gives users the ability to modify a message within 15 minutes of sending it.

"You can now edit your WhatsApp messages up to 15 mins after they're sent!" stated Zuckerberg in a short statement.

A photo of WhatsApp's new edit feature that allows users to edit their sent messages within 15 minutes. /FACEBOOK.MARK ZUCKERBERG

How It Works

Through this feature, users won't have to delete entire messages but click on the edit button which will allow for the correction of words or sentences or even the context of the message.

Additionally, the edited messages will have an edited tag beside the time stamp to mark the change.

The application will not, however, keep the correction history. This means that other users will not be able to see the previous versions of the edited messages.

"From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we’re excited to bring you more control over your chats. All you need to do is long-press on a sent message and choose ‘Edit’ from the menu for up to fifteen minutes after.

"Edited messages will display ‘edited’ alongside them, so those you’re messaging are aware of the correction without showing edit history. As with all personal messages, media and calls, your messages and the edits you make are protected by end-to-end encryption," WhatsApp stated in its blog post.

The platform further announced that the feature has started rolling out to users globally and will be available to everyone (all Android and iOS users) in the coming weeks.

WhatsApp has in recent weeks been giving more power to its users in terms of how their day-to-day conversations occur.

On Monday, May 15, it introduced the new Chat Lock feature which gives users the freedom to lock and hide conversations.

The feature separates chats by moving them from the application's regular feed to a special folder that can only be opened by way of a user's password or biometric authentication.

For extra security, Zuckerberg noted that chats in the Chat Lock feature will not display notifications, in an aim to protect users fond of having intimate conversations, especially those in relationships.

"New locked chats in WhatsApp make your conversations more private. They're hidden in a password-protected folder and notifications won't show sender or message content," the statement read in part.

Screenshot of WhatsApp's new 'Chat Lock' feature. /FACEBOOK.MARK ZUCKERBERG