Key Points
- WhatsApp has announced it will let users edit messages.
- Messages can only be edited within 15 minutes of publication.
- Other messaging services already allow users to edit texts.
WhatsApp users will soon be allowed to edit their messages but within 15 minutes of it being sent.
The messaging giant, which is owned by Facebook's parent company Meta, is rolling out the edit feature to all users globally in the coming weeks.
“From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we’re excited to bring you more control over your chats,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.
“All you need to do is long-press on a sent message and choose ‘Edit’ from the menu for up to fifteen minutes after.”
Messages that have been edited will be shown as ‘edited’ next to them to notify the receiver of the change.
The edit history won’t be displayed.
“As with all personal messages, media and calls, your messages and the edits you make are protected by end-to-end encryption,” WhatsApp said.
The move has been long-awaited by users keen to fix up typos or auto-corrected mistakes.
Competitor messaging apps Telegram and Signal allow users to edit messages already.
Social media giant Twitter last year announced it would give paying subscribers the ability to edit their tweets.
But there's a slightly longer time limit with users able to edit a few times within 30 minutes of publication.
