Deleting a WhatsApp Message: 3 Things to Keep in Mind before do it

13 July, 2020 — James Brandon

As a frequent WhatsApp user, you should have noticed that you can delete the messages that you have sent either to a group or to an individual recipient. It was until towards the end of 2017 that the much-requested feature was embedded into WhatsApp.

Using the “Delete message” function, you can delete WhatsApp messages that you have mistakenly sent to a group or an individual contact. You can choose to delete the messages so that both you (the sender) and the recipient won’t see the messages, or you can delete the messages so that only you (the sender) stops seeing the message.    

As much as the “Delete message” function is useful to WhatsApp users, there are certain things that users need to keep in mind before choosing to delete a message.

1. There is a 60-minute window for you to delete a message

Initially, WhatsApp users would be able to delete messages that were sent within 7 minutes. However, as days went by, the period was extended to 60 minutes. This means that WhatsApp users now have up to 60 minutes to delete sent messages.

If the 60-minutes period elapses, the option to delete a message from the recipient’s WhatsApp account will no longer be available. This means that the texts or media files that you accidentally sent will remain with the recipients.

2. The “Delete Message” Function is Unusable for Old WhatsApp Versions

For you to use the “Delete message” function on WhatsApp, you need to be updated to the current version of the app. If you are chatting with a person that is using an older version of WhatsApp, the delete function will not work.

3. Deleted Messages Can Be Restored Using Third-Party Apps

There are third-party apps that can be used to restore deleted WhatsApp messages. This means that you can delete WhatsApp messages but a recipient with the third-party app on their device will still view the deleted messages.