WHATSAPP has just extended the time you have to “unsend” a text.
The grace period is changing immediately, so check your handset for a new WhatsApp update.
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Unsending messages on WhatsApp has been possible for a few years now.
Initially it was only possible to unsend texts for the first eight minutes.
And before today’s update, you would have about an hour to “recall” a message.
But the latest WhatsApp app upgrade extends the time limit to a whopping two days and 12 hours.
Other apps – including Meta-owned Instagram – have no time limit for unsending messages.
WhatsApp’s Delete For Everyone is inching closer to that reality.
It means you’ve got much more time to deliberate whether a text should stay on WhatsApp indefinitely or not.
There are loads of reasons to recall messages.
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Maybe you messaged the wrong person, shared a missive littered with typos, or sent a drunk text that you deeply regret in the cold light of day.
Whatever the reason, you’ll now be able to unsend a text within about 60 hours.
To do this, go to the chat and hold your finger down on the message.
Now click delete and then choose Delete For Everyone.
Pressing Delete For Me won’t unsend the message – it will only remove it for you.
A placeholder text will remain in the chat noting that a text was removed.
There’s also another catch: the feature requires everyone to be using the latest version of WhatsApp.
That means a message you’ve unsent might not actually be deleted for people using older versions of the app.
Worse still, you won’t be told this is the case.
So if you’re very cautious, try to stick to the one-hour window for a few weeks – until more people have updated.
WhatsApp first began letting users unsend texts way back in 2017.
Originally users only had seven minutes to recall a message.
But in 2018 the grace period was extended to one hour.
And it’s now risen to a much more useful two days to make it much easier for users.
To update your WhatsApp, go into the Apple App Store on iPhone or the Google Play Store on Android.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
