Official: WhatsApp rolls out new app update to enable users delete sent messages

What started off as a rumour have eventually transcended into reality.

WhatsApp have officially released the “un-send” feature for global use across all mobile platforms (Android, iOS, and Windows). Albeit the capability to un-send messages or delete texts that haven’t been read and making them unavailable to the recipient have been undergoing testing by Beta users of WhatsApp for quite sometime now, all users of the instant messaging platform can now have access to the feature.

3-in-1 offer: New app update, Un-send message and new emoji

To effect the new Un-send feature, WhatsApp introduced a new app update across all respective mobile app store. Likewise, the app update comes embedded with the recently announced native WhatsApp emojis (which many have said still takes a cue from those of Apple’s).

How to un-send messages and delete sent messages

1. First off, ensure you update your WhatsApp to the latest version on your device’s app store.

2. Launch the app, send a message to any one on your contact or chat list.

3. When the message has been sent and delivered (indicated by the double-mark line), hold the message you wish to un-send and click on the trash can icon at the top of the screen.

4. Afterwards, click on “Delete for everyone” option from the pop-up menu to delete the send message. That way, both you (the sender) and the recipient will no longer see the message.

Click on”Delete for Everyone” to un-send messages/texts

However, it is worth noting that you can only delete a sent message between 0 to 7 minutes after sending it. Any second after 7 minutes, the text cannot be retracted. Also, both parties need to have the latest version of the messenger on their devices for the messages to be deleted or un-sent.

With this, WhatsApp follows in the footsteps of Google Mail’s (Gmail) granting users the liberty to un-send e-mails. This feature particularly comes in handy when messages sent either by mistake or you have messages containing errors that needs to be corrected and sent again.