Last month WhatsApp was testing the ability to recall sent messages, and it is now rolling out the feature to all users. In fact users of other knockoff WhatsApp versions like WhatsAppGB have been able to use this feature.
If you’ve ever sent a WhatsApp reply to the wrong thread, accidentally sharing your nudes for with a business colleague instead of your partner, or you’ve engaged in a spot of drunk-messaging, it looks like you’ll soon have the opportunity to recall the message either before or after it is read.
However, as the company explains in a new FAQ post, you’ll have to spot your mistake quickly: messages can only be zapped within seven minutes of sending them.
Messages you successfully delete for everyone will be replaced with “This message was deleted” in your recipients’ chats. Similarly, if you see “This message was deleted” in a chat, it means that the sender deleted their message for everyone.
You can only delete messages for everyone for up to seven minutes after sending. Once seven minutes have passed, there is no way to delete messages for everyone.
There’s another potential gotcha too.
In order for messages to be successfully deleted for everyone, both you and your recipient must be using the latest version of WhatsApp for Android, iPhone or Windows Phone.
As TNW notes, the rollout appears to be a gradual one, so it may be a little time before you get the option.
