Sunday 29 October 2017

WhatsApp Reportedly Letting Users Delete Sent Messages: How It Works

whatsapp

WhatsApp message delete/ recall feature has been in the rumour mill for nearly a year now, with the company mentioning it in the internal code. But fans will be pleased to know that the feature, which had not made an official appearance so far, has started trickling out to some WhatsApp users. WABetainfo now reports that the new feature, named ‘Delete for Everyone’, has started rolling out to some users on Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone apps. It only works if both the recipient and sender have the latest version of WhatsApp installed, the site notes, and it also works on Web version.


This feature is said to delete messages only if the receiver hasn’t read it. Once the message is seen, the sender may not be able to delete it. The report indicates WhatsApp may have a dedicated recall server working, which is working as expected. It further goes to say the feature will also delete messages from the notification center across both Android and iOS platforms. However, the feature is still under testing and is expected to roll out to users sometime later remotely.

Some of the instant messaging apps that already have this feature working are Viber and Telegram. Notably, they all operate on the same principle: Sender won’t be allowed to delete messages if the receiver has read it. There are also a few apps that despite receivers have read messages let senders delete them anyway. If this feature goes live anytime soon, it could be a game changer for Facebook-owned instant messaging app.

How to use WhatsApp ‘Delete for Everyone’ feature
The feature is said to be one of the most requested one, and is likely to make things slightly easier for WhatsApp users. The report says that it will be called ‘Delete for Everyone’ and several users have started noticing the feature in the latest WhatsApp version when they press the trash icon. Alongside Delete for Everyone, users will also see the Delete for Me option, if they only want to delete the message from their phone.

It adds that the rollout is slow and it may take some time. As we already mentioned, the feature will only work for both the parties if the sender and recipient are using the latest WhatsApp version. The feature is said to work for all kinds of messages on the most widely used instant messaging app. The report says it will work for all texts, images, videos, GIFs, voice messages, contact, files, location, quoted message, and status replies on WhatsApp.

It also only works within 7 minutes of sending the message – after that, the message can’t be recalled. Deleted messages will be replaced by “This message was deleted for everyone.” Based on the initial report, the sent message will be deleted from the chat page as well as from the notifications pane. For those unaware, the recall feature is already available in other popular chat apps like Telegram, Viber, and others, and WhatsApp is finally looking to make it available to its billion daily active users as well.

WABetainfo notes that WhatsApp at the moment does not recall a message contained in a quoted message. Messages cannot be deleted for everyone if they are sent in a broadcast list. It also adds that messages will not be deleted on the Symbian app, so those users will continue to see the recalled message. The site adds that in its current implementation, WhatsApp will not notify the user that the message has been deleted.

Separately, for Android users, WhatsApp beta version 2.17.397 is now out and it adds new emojis. For those unaware, WhatsApp introduced its own set of emojis that were different from what we have seen so far. The new WhatsApp emojis were visible in beta version 2.17.363 for Android users, and were rolled out to more people. The all-new WhatsApp Beta 2.17.397 brings new emojis like star eyes, swearing face, vomiting face, shushing face, and more to the list. The new beta version was first reported by Android Police which also points that the new emoji set also gets the T-Rex. Interested users can head to APK Mirror to download the new version or join the beta program to keep updated.



WhatsApp message delete/ recall feature has been in the rumour mill for nearly a year now, with the company mentioning it in the internal code. But fans will be pleased to know that the feature, which had not made an official appearance so far, has started trickling out to some WhatsApp users. WABetainfo now reports that the new feature, named 'Delete for Everyone', has started rolling out to some users on Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone apps. It only works if both the recipient and sender have the latest version of WhatsApp installed, the site notes, and it also works on Web version.

How to use WhatsApp 'Delete for Everyone' feature

The feature is said to be one of the most requested one, and is likely to make things slightly easier for WhatsApp users. The report says that it will be called 'Delete for Everyone' and several users have started noticing the feature in the latest WhatsApp version when they press the trash icon. Alongside Delete for Everyone, users will also see the Delete for Me option, if they only want to delete the message from their phone.

It adds that the rollout is slow and it may take some time. As we already mentioned, the feature will only work for both the parties if the sender and recipient are using the latest WhatsApp version. The feature is said to work for all kinds of messages on the most widely used instant messaging app. The report says it will work for all texts, images, videos, GIFs, voice messages, contact, files, location, quoted message, and status replies on WhatsApp.

It also only works within 7 minutes of sending the message - after that, the message can't be recalled. Deleted messages will be replaced by "This message was deleted for everyone." Based on the initial report, the sent message will be deleted from the chat page as well as from the notifications pane. For those unaware, the recall feature is already available in other popular chat apps like Telegram, Viber, and others, and WhatsApp is finally looking to make it available to its billion daily active users as well.

WABetainfo notes that WhatsApp at the moment does not recall a message contained in a quoted message. Messages cannot be deleted for everyone if they are sent in a broadcast list. It also adds that messages will not be deleted on the Symbian app, so those users will continue to see the recalled message. The site adds that in its current implementation, WhatsApp will not notify the user that the message has been deleted.

Separately, for Android users, WhatsApp beta version 2.17.397 is now out and it adds new emojis. For those unaware, WhatsApp introduced its own set of emojis that were different from what we have seen so far. The new WhatsApp emojis were visible in beta version 2.17.363 for Android users, and were rolled out to more people. The all-new WhatsApp Beta 2.17.397 brings new emojis like star eyes, swearing face, vomiting face, shushing face, and more to the list. The new beta version was first reported by Android Police which also points that the new emoji set also gets the T-Rex. Interested users can head to APK Mirror to download the new version or join the beta program to keep updated.


Ever wished you hadn't sent a WhatsApp message? The irrevocability of messages sent on chat-apps often leave users to rue poor decision making, mostly at odd hours.

While WhatsApp rolled out a slew of new features in 2017, including a new Snapchat-like status feature, two-step verification, more files types for data transfer, and increasing the media sharing limit, the best apparently is yet to come. It is reportedly launching a feature that lets users revoke message by deleting them after they are sent.

Rumours have been doing the rounds for a while now, but it is understood that beta testing has begun. Some users have begun seeing the aforementioned option pop up with the trash can icon. The feature allows users to 'Delete for everyone,' while posting group messages within seven minutes of its being sent. A 'Delete for me' option is also believed to be on the cards.

The feature will only work if all recipients of a particular message are running the latest version of WhatsApp. The feature will also be extended to messages of varying data types such as text, audio, video, images, GIFs, contact files, location pins, quotes messages, and attachments.

Based on preliminary reports, it is indicated that the app will not notify members of a group if a message has been revoked. Other platforms like Telegram and Viber have already adopted message-recall technology. Gmail, which runs on a different protocol, also has a provision called Undo Send, thereby giving users a second chance to include information which they might have overlooked. However, the time frame for recalling emails is only 7 seconds.

When WhatsApp's 'Delete for everyone' feature is ultimately rolled out, it will ensure that users given to twiddling their thumbs will have no cause to regret not thinking twice before they type.

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