WhatsApp, the widely used instant messaging service owned by Meta, has announced that it will soon allow users to edit their messages, joining the ranks of competitors such as Telegram and Discord.
This new feature will enable WhatsApp’s two billion users to make edits to their messages within 15 minutes of sending them.
The company stated in a blog post on Monday, ‘From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we’re excited to bring you more control over your chats.’
Users can easily edit a sent message by long-pressing it and selecting the ‘Edit’ option from the menu.
To ensure transparency, edited messages will be labelled as ‘edited,’ informing recipients that the content has been modified. However, WhatsApp will not disclose the specific changes made to the message over time.
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WhatsApp’s decision to introduce the message editing feature follows similar moves by other messaging platforms like Telegram and Signal.
Facebook, the parent company of WhatsApp, had already implemented this functionality almost a decade ago, highlighting the prevalence of typing errors on mobile devices. On Facebook, edited updates are marked accordingly, and users can access a history of the edits.
Last year, Twitter, led by Elon Musk, introduced a similar feature exclusively for its paying subscribers. Twitter users can edit their tweets multiple times within a 30-minute window after posting.
The introduction of the message editing feature by WhatsApp demonstrates the platform’s commitment to enhancing user experience and adapting to evolving user expectations.
As WhatsApp’s user base continues to grow, providing greater control over conversations will undoubtedly be well-received by its global community.
In the coming weeks, WhatsApp users can look forward to this convenient feature, which will empower them to correct errors or provide additional context within their conversations.
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