Meta is globally rolling out a new feature for its popular messaging app, WhatsApp, that will allow users to edit their already sent messages.
According to the company, users can now correct misspelled words with this new functionality by long-pressing a sent message and choose ‘Edit’ from the menu. But there’s a catch, messages are editable within 15 minutes which is the same as the duration offered by Apple’s iMessage.
In a blog post, the messaging app notes that modified messages will display an ‘edited’ label alongside them such that the recipient knows the message has been corrected but it won’t show the edit history. Additionally, WhatsApp adds that just like it is with all personal messages, including media and calls, “your messages and the edits you make are protected by end-to-end encryption,” which means only the sender and the person messaged can see them.
While WhatsApp is just playing catch up with its new feature since its competitors like Telegram and Signal have long provided users with the ability to edit their messages, this is a great addition to Meta’s owned messaging platform. Until today, users could only either delete the misspelled message or send another separate corrected message.
The feature which was first spotted in May last year by WaBetaInfo is now available in the latest WhatsApp update for both Android and iOS users. It can also be used on Web interface of the social network.
Meanwhile, just last week, the company introduced another feature called “Chat Lock” that allows users to lock and hide specific conversations. The functionality is designed to provide users with an additional layer of security and privacy for their intimate conversations.
“We think this feature will be great for people who have reason to share their phones from time to time with a family member or those moments where someone else is holding your phone at the exact moment an extra special chat arrives,” WhatsApp wrote in a blog post.
