WhatsApp now lets you EDIT your messages – but there’s a huge catch

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By William

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WhatsApp now lets you EDIT your messages, but there’s a huge catch

  • WhatsApp today launched a new editing tool for users around the world
  • However, you can only change your message up to 15 minutes after it has been sent

By Shivali Best for Mailonline

Updated:

We’ve all been there – you fire off a quick message on WhatsApp only to find it riddled with typos.

But the days of sending a follow-up explaining what you really meant are finally a thing of the past, thanks to WhatsApp’s latest feature.

Meta’s messaging app has launched an Edit button.

“For those times when you make a mistake, or just change your mind, you can now edit your sent messages,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.

However, there is a huge catch: you can only edit your message for up to 15 minutes after sending, after which it will remain there.

WhatsApp has launched an edit button for those times when you make a mistake or just change your mind

How to use the editing tool

To use the new tool, just long-press on a sent message and choose “Edit” from the menu.

Edited posts will show “edited” next to them, letting your friends know about the correction, even though they won’t be able to see the edit history.

WhatsApp announced the new tool in a blog post this afternoon.

“From correcting a simple spelling mistake to adding extra context to a message, we’re excited to give you more control over your chats,” the post read.

To use the new tool, just long-press on a sent message and choose “Edit” from the menu.

Edited posts will show “edited” next to them, letting your friends know about the correction, even though they won’t be able to see the edit history.

“As with all personal messages, media and calls, your messages and the edits you make are protected by end-to-end encryption,” WhatsApp added.

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg also posted about the new feature, writing on his Facebook page, “You can now edit your WhatsApp messages up to 15 minutes after they are sent!”

Several enthusiastic users have commented to express their delight at the new feature.

Edited posts will show

Edited posts will show “edited” next to them so your friends know about the correction, even though they can’t see the edit history

‘Sounds good. Thanks for improving the service,” one wrote.

Another added: “Very helpful, especially when sending to groups.”

And one of them joked, “I once texted my supervisor ‘Good morning Madman’ instead of Good morning Madam, and I didn’t catch it in time.

She sent me a screenshot 10 days later! This is useful..’

The editing tool is available to users worldwide and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.

BEST WHATSAPP ALTERNATIVES

If you’re considering uninstalling WhatsApp, you’ll be happy to hear that there are several alternative apps you can choose from:

1. Telegram

With over 400 million users, Telegram is one of the most popular WhatsApp alternatives.

Although it is very similar to WhatsApp, it is distinguished by the fact that it offers the possibility to set messages to self-destruct after a certain time, without leaving any trace.

Telegram also offers end-to-end encryption.

However, as a WhatsApp spokesperson pointed out, Telegram “doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption by default, so it’s not necessarily more secure than WhatsApp.”

2. Signal

Signal is one of the most secure messaging apps, thanks to it being open-source.

This means that the code for the app is publicly available for viewing, making it nearly impossible for the app’s creators to sneak in backdoors that would allow governments or hackers to spy on your messages.

3. iMessages

If you’re using an iPhone, consider simply switching to iMessage, Apple’s own messaging app.

The app has some impressive features, including no character limits, the ability to send photos and videos, and of course Apple’s animated emoji feature, Animoji.

Unfortunately, iMessage is only available for iPhone users, so you’ll struggle to communicate with anyone using an Android device.

4. Google Messages

Google’s answer to iMessage is Google Messages, a messaging service for Android.

The app replaces your default SMS app and integrates with all of Google’s apps and services, making it easy to share images or use the Google Assistant.

5. Facebook messenger

If you were put off using WhatsApp because of its data sharing with Facebook, Facebook Messenger may not be the best option for you.

However, the app offers some useful features, including games, secret conversations, and video calls.

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