You Can Now Edit Sent Messages on WhatsApp—If You're Fast Enough
If you make a typo after you send a message on WhatsApp, you can now fix it.
The app is finally getting the ability to edit sent messages, but there's a catch: You’ll only have 15 minutes to make the edit.
WhatsApp added the editing function “for the moments when you make a mistake, or simply change your mind.”
“From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we’re excited to bring you more control over your chats,” the app said in a blog post(Opens in a new window). “All you need to do is long-press on a sent message and choose ‘Edit’ from the menu for up to 15 minutes after.”
If you do fix a sent message, WhatsApp will display an “edited” label next to the content, making it clear to all that the message was tweaked in some way. (You can also delete(Opens in a new window) sent messages on WhatsApp so long as they were posted within 2 days and 12 hours.)
WhatsApp didn’t say why it implemented the 15-minute time limit. But the reason is likely because users could alter messages sent days, weeks, or months ago, which could make it easy to exploit to deceive and gaslight someone. (You also only have 15 minutes to edit a message on the iPhone.)
WhatsApp, owned by Facebook parent Meta, also implemented the editing function without undermining the end-to-end encryption that protects the privacy on the chat app. This means no one, not even Facebook, can decrypt your messages, calls, or videos over the app unless they have physical access to the user's smartphone.
WhatsApp says the editing function is starting to roll out to users globally today. Eventually all users will be able to access the feature in the coming weeks.
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