WhatsApp made a highly anticipated announcement today, introducing a new feature that allows users to edit their messages. Mark Zuckerberg shared the news in a Facebook post, stating that users now have the ability to modify a message within 15 minutes of sending it. To edit a message, simply press and hold on it, then select the edit option to make the desired changes.
Edited messages will be labeled with an “edited” tag next to the time stamp, indicating that modifications have been made. However, WhatsApp does not keep a record of previous versions of edited messages, so other users will not be able to view them.
“We’re thrilled to give you more control over your chats, enabling you to correct spelling mistakes or provide additional context to your messages,” stated the company in a blog post.
To utilize this feature, tap and hold on a message for a moment within 15 minutes of sending it, then select the “Edit” option from the menu.
Previously, WhatsApp users had to either delete a message entirely or send a separate message to make corrections. Last year, the messaging app extended the time limit for deleting messages from 48 hours to 60 hours.
Competing platforms like Telegram and Signal have long offered message editing capabilities. Apple also introduced the ability to edit and retract messages sent via iMessage with the release of iOS 16.
Even Twitter introduced an edit button for paid users last year. Although the 15-minute time limit for modifying messages may not be as generous as Telegram’s 48-hour window, it is still an improvement.
Personally, I have experienced my fair share of typos in messages, so the editing feature will allow me to quickly correct mistakes without having to send additional messages.
Sending corrections can often confuse recipients and create unnecessary notifications. When a message is deleted, it is not completely removed from the conversation but rather replaced with a greyed-out note that says, “This message was deleted.”
WhatsApp has stated that the feature is already being rolled out to users and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.
Leave feedback about this