WhatsApp Starts Letting Users Delete Messages After They've Been Sent - MacRumors
Skip to Content

WhatsApp Starts Letting Users Delete Messages After They've Been Sent

by

whatsappWhatsApp is currently rolling out the ability to delete and revoke messages after they've been sent. The function has been in testing as a hidden feature in several earlier versions of the mobile chat app, but is officially going live this week.

Going forward, WhatsApp users will be able delete messages from conversations and group chats up to seven minutes after they've tapped the send button, as long as both sender and receiver have updated to the latest version of the app.

The new option, called "Delete for everyone" will appear in addition to "Delete for me", and is already showing up for some users when they select a message to trash.

In a published support article, WhatsApp notes that recipients "may see your messages before it's deleted or if deletion was not successful", so the feature isn't guaranteed to work all the time. It's also possible that some users may still see the messages in notifications before they're deleted.

Users aren't notified if a delete request fails, but messages that have been successfully deleted for everyone will be replaced with "This message was deleted" in recipients' chat threads.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is currently testing group voice calls internally, so it's likely this feature will also turn up in a forthcoming update.

WhatsApp is a free download for iPhone from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

GadgetBen Avatar
115 months ago
Perfect, can't wait to try this next time I go out drinking
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hater Avatar
115 months ago
Somebody give me an example of when this would be useful...?!?
5 minutes after you've sent a picture of your womanly parts and are wondering if it was such a crash hot idea.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
115 months ago
Flaws in the feature, and it should not work like that..

The whole point of deleting is that the other person shouldn't know we deleted... so if it's states "message has been deleted" that's wrong... also, we should not be allowed to delete if the other person has seen the message, it'll create a lot of problems going further between the 2, because the other person will say," it's my chat records, who are you to delete the messages without my permission, even if it's your own"

Whatsapp should also notify, that delete request was failed.

I can agree with the notification issue, because that's system wide. That would be Apples job, to change the system of revoking notifications, and figuring out how the phone and the app know whether the notification has been seen or not... may be Face ID would help in that case...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ikir Avatar
115 months ago
Whatsapp staff: “ok which Telegram features we can copy next?”
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sausage.Biscuit Avatar
115 months ago
Whatsapp staff: “ok which Telegram features we can copy next?”
Yeah no joke. Most of my friends gave up Whatsapp/Kik for Telegram a long time ago.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
115 months ago
'WhatsApp' is still a dumb name.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Whatsapp Feature

WhatsApp Announces New CarPlay Experience, iPad Sign-Up, and More

Wednesday July 22, 2026 6:00 am PDT by
WhatsApp just announced a raft of new features spanning CarPlay, iPad, and iPhone that are "designed to work wherever you do, across your devices and the other apps you use." First up, WhatsApp for CarPlay and Android Auto has been completely refreshed. Now you can hear and respond to messages, make calls, see your call history, and reach your favorites, all hands-free directly from your...
Whatsapp Feature

WhatsApp Rolls Out Redesigned Message Bubbles for iOS

Tuesday July 28, 2026 3:50 am PDT by
WhatsApp is rolling out a new design for message bubbles on iOS, reports WaBetaInfo. Old design (left) vs. new design (Image: WaBetaInfo) The platform's message bubbles are rounder than before with a softer shape – similar to iMessage – while shared media files appear without the original borders, giving them a cleaner look. The message bubble update follows several Liquid...
Whatsapp Feature

WhatsApp Rolls Out Web Calling, Call Transfer Across Devices, and More

Wednesday July 29, 2026 3:05 am PDT by
WhatsApp has announced a handful of enhancements for group calling over the encrypted platform, including seamless call transfers across devices and a new web calling feature. It's now possible to make and receive audio and video calls, including both one-on-one and group calls, directly from WhatsApp Web. The new browser-based service provides access to common features available on other...