WhatsApp has changed the time you have to UNSEND a text – don’t get caught out
WHATSAPP has tweaked the amount of time you have to "unsend" a text.
The "delete for everyone" feature lets you call back a message – with a previous time limit of one hour.
That meant messages sent over an hour ago couldn't be recalled.
But WhatsApp has made a subtle tweak to the feature that extends the time.
You now have a generous two-day window to unsend any message.
This means you've got much more time to deliberate whether a text should stay on WhatsApp indefinitely or not.
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There are loads of reasons to recall messages.
Maybe you messaged the wrong person, shared a missive littered with typos, or sent a drunk text that you deeply regret in the cold light of day.
Whatever the reason, you'll now be able to unsend a text within 48 hours.
To do this, go to the chat and hold your finger down on the message.
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Now click delete and then choose Delete For Everyone.
Pressing Delete For Me won't unsend the message – it will only remove it for you.
A placeholder text will remain in the chat noting that a text was removed.
There's also another catch: the feature requires everyone to be using the latest version of WhatsApp.
That means a message you've unsent might not actually be deleted for people using older versions of the app.
Worse still, you won't be told this is the case.
So if you're very cautious, try to stick to the one-hour window for a few weeks – until more people have updated.
The feature tweak was announced via the official WhatsApp Twitter page.
WhatsApp wrote: "Rethinking your message?
"Now you'll have a little over 2 days to delete your messages from your chats after you hit send."
WhatsApp first began letting users unsend texts way back in 2017.
Originally users only had seven minutes to recall a message.
But in 2018 the grace period was extended to one hour.
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And it's now risen to a much more useful two days to make it much easier for users.
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To update your WhatsApp, go into the Apple App Store on iPhone or the Google Play Store on Android.
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