WhatsApp officially rolls out Delete for Everyone, letting users ‘Unsend’ messages they wish they hadn’t posted

If you can't already access it, you should be able to very soon

Aatif Sulleyman
Tuesday 31 October 2017 17:13 GMT
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WhatsApp has officially announced Delete for Everyone, the feature that lets you “unsend” embarrassing messages.

The company hinted at Delete for Everyone’s impending arrival in an FAQ page last week, but has only just published a blog post about it.

While some users have been able to use the feature for several days, the rollout has proven slow and many others have been left wondering why they haven't been able to access it.

WhatsApp’s blog post suggests Delete for Everyone will reach all users very soon.

“Starting today you can now delete messages you sent by mistake — whether to one person or an entire group,” it reads.

“Here's how it works: tap and hold on the message, choose ‘Delete’, and then ‘Delete for everyone’. You have seven minutes to delete the message after it's sent.

“This feature is rolling out for users around the world on the latest versions of iPhone, Android, Windows Phone as well as desktop. Both you and the message recipient must be using the latest version of WhatsApp for the message to be successfully deleted.”

Though Delete for Everyone has the potential to save you from awkward situations, you should still think twice before sending any messages – such as ill-advised drunken propositions – you might later come to regret.

As explained by WhatsApp, it won’t work if the person you’re chatting to hasn’t updated to the latest version of the app, or if the message you want to delete is more than seven minutes old.

WhatsApp also says there’s a chance the person you’ve been chatting to may see your message before you try to revoke it.

What’s more, if one of your attempts to use Delete for Everyone is unsuccessful, you will not be notified.

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