Apple will now let you delete and edit iPhone messages
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Louise Thomas
Editor
Apple will now let people delete and edit messages after they have been sent.
The feature comes in a new update, iOS 16, which was revealed at Apple’s WWDC event this week and will be released fully later this year.
When that update arrives, users will be able to delete an iMessage once it has been sent. Users will then not be able to see the message – though they will be able to see that one had been deleted.
Likewise, users will be able to edit messages, so that they can for example fix typos. Again, people will see that a message has been edited.
Those options will be available for 30 days after a message has been sent.
The update brings Apple in line with other messaging platforms, such as Slack and Telegram, both of which already include edit and delete buttons.
Others, such as WhatsApp, offer the option to delete messages but not to edit them.
Apple will also offer the option to “undo send” emails within its own Mail app. That will work slightly differently, with the app holding onto the message for a few seconds before it is sent.
Google’s Gmail has long offered a similar option.
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