WhatsApp lets users undo accidental 'delete for me' feature

Butterfingered texters will welcome the new function, which allows users to reverse the action

You can now 'undo' deleting a message if you hit 'delete for me' by mistake. Reuters

When WhatsApp introduced the ability to delete messages in 2017, the feature was a welcome addition that has since been beneficial for many users. However, texters with quick fingers may accidentally hit the “delete for me” button rather than “delete for everyone”, which can cause a problem.

Thankfully, there’s a new update called “accidental delete” that is being rolled out to iOS and Android users. It will give users a five-second window to reverse the unintentional “delete for me” and instead hit “delete for everyone” when it comes to getting rid of a message.

When the delete message feature was rolled out, it was only limited to seven minutes. However, in August, the time limit was expanded to 60 hours, meaning people can still choose to delete a message within that time frame.

In August, WhatsApp announced a number of privacy rules, such as allowing users to be able to leave group chats without other members being notified and people being able to set controls to limit who can see their “online” status.

The update also prevented people from being able to screenshot any messages set to “view once”.

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Meta, which owns WhatsApp, announced the changes in a Facebook post. “New privacy features coming to WhatsApp: exit group chats without notifying everyone, control who can see when you're online, and prevent screenshots on view once messages,” he wrote.

“We'll keep building new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations.”