WhatsApp Now Lets You Edit Messages for 15 Minutes After Sending Them

Chat service WhatsApp just made it easier to fix little mistakes and typos after sending out messages. 

The Meta-owned messaging service just announced a new edit feature, allowing users to fix any mistakes after sending a message. All you need to do is long-press on a sent message and look for the Edit button. What’s the catch? The edit feature is only available for 15 minutes after sending a message. Additionally, edited messages include a clear marking to indicate their status. In other words, the person you are messaging is fully aware that you’ve been tinkering. 

This is similar to how Apple handled its message editing feature last year. The 15-minute edit window means this is a great format for fixing typos but not the best way to remove entire threads after the fact. You'll likely miss the window. The chat service has long offered a delete function that removes entire messages, but this replaces the deleted content with a "message was deleted" notice. The edit feature looks a bit neater in the feed. 

WhatsApp's new edit feature starts rolling out today, but this is a tiered global release, so it could take a couple of weeks before your app gets the update notification. WhatsApp has been busy adding tools to the app, such as a new chat lock feature to protect conversations from would-be interlopers. The messaging giant also recently revealed a curated newsletter feature to help users connect.