A tiny update from WhatsApp today but one that will thrill anyone that hates making typos – you will soon be able to edit your sent messages! Some of you may already be able to do so.
Editing Sent WhatsApp Messages
If you are in any sort of group chat, you will know what happens when you send a message and accidentally spell a word incorrectly or make a typo…if your chat is anything like the GrowTraffic work chat, you will be roasted for at least a couple of days.
Anyway, today’s news is great for pedants that hate making mistakes because WhatsApp, with over 2 billion users, announced that sent messages will soon be editable! The catch? You will only have 15 minutes to edit your message. So you need to realise you have made a mistake pretty fast.
I’m guessing the 15-minute rule is to stop potential issues with users returning to older conversations and editing messages. Edited messages will also display that they have been altered with a marker – but won’t show the recipient exactly how the message has changed.
Here is what WhatsApp had to say about the new update:
“From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we’re excited to bring you more control over your chats. All you need to do is long-press on a sent message and choose ‘Edit’ from the menu for up to fifteen minutes after.”
Some users are already able to use the new feature, but it may take a couple of weeks before the rollout is global.
WhatsApp is used in a surprisingly large number of professional communications and serious settings. Just earlier this year it emerged that the UK government relies heavily on the communication platform when former Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s messages were leaked. It has emerged since that lots of businesses use the app to communicate between team members and with customers. So, whilst this update is small, it’s going to be pretty useful if you make an embarrassing typo in a professional conversation and want to tidy your mistake up.
However, could it be the end of funny autocorrect fails? We hope not.
