WHATSAPP is working on a change that will let you edit text messages that you’ve already sent.
You’ll have up to 15 minutes to quickly modify a missive sent via the app.
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It’s a long-requested feature that is now “under development” at WhatsApp.
That means it’s only a matter of time until it reaches the WhatsApp beta – where you can trial it yourself.
The feature was discovered by the tech sleuths at WABetaInfo who dig into the beta app to uncover new features.
According to the report, you’ll be able to hold down on a text that you’ve sent and then edit it.
This will only be possible for the first 15 minutes, after which it will become unchangeable.
Other users in the WhatsApp chat will see an “Edited” label on the text that you’ve changed.
This will prevent people from being able to “stealth edit” texts without pals knowing.
But there’s a catch.
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“We can finally reveal that WhatsApp will give you exactly 15 minutes to edit a message,” WABetaInfo explained.
“As happens with deleted messages for everyone, WhatsApp may not ensure that your message will really be edited if the recipient does not turn on their device within a certain amount of time (probably, a day or a little more).”
Sadly we still don’t know exactly when the feature will arrive on everyone’s phones.
WhatsApp is always competing with its Apple rival, iMessage.
And at Apple’s WWDC 2022 event earlier this year, Apple confirmed a huge iMessage update that’s now live.
The built-in iPhone messenger now lets you unsend texts – just like WhatsApp.
But the iOS 16 update also adds a text-message editor that will let you tweak missives up to 15 minutes after they’ve been sent.
That means iMessage has beaten WhatsApp to the feature.
If you want to try the latest WhatsApp features first, you can join the app beta.
How to get WhatsApp beta
To download WhatsApp beta for your smartphone you need to go to Google Play on your Android and search for WhatsApp.
Scroll down the page until you see “Become a Beta Tester”.
Tap the “I’m In” button and then click “Join” to confirm.
Now all you have to do is wait for the update to the beta version of the app.
Joining the WhatsApp beta on iOS is more difficult, and has limited capacity.
Follow Apple’s guide here.
How to edit texts on iPhone
Editing messages on WhatsApp might be a while away, but you can modify iMessage texts right now.
Not all iMessages can be tweaked or deleted: there’s a time limit.
You only have 15 minutes to make any changes to a text before the option runs out.
Simply hold down on the message to edit it.
Recipients will be alerted when a text has been edited.
However it won’t be possible to see exactly what changes have been made – unless you had previously seen the message and remembered what it said.
Also important is that both the sender and recipient will need to be on iOS 16 for the feature to work.
So even if you have iOS 16, you won’t be able to unsend or edit a text for a person who hasn’t yet upgraded.
You’ll receive a warning that some people won’t see your edits if this is the case.
For the feature to work, everyone needs to be running iOS 16.
To check if you have it, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
