WhatsApp ‘lets you edit texts’ with shock update – how it works

WHATSAPP is working on a new feature that lets you edit your texts AFTER they’ve been sent.

The trick will allow you to fix typos or repair any embarrassing messages you may have sent.

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It was leaked as a feature “under development” on phones back in June.

Now the app sleuths at WABetaInfo have found evidence of the feature being developed for WhatsApp’s desktop version too.

WhatsApp regularly tests new features in the “beta” trial version of the app.

The new feature will let you edit away any mistakes in a message.

Sadly there are still plenty of unknowns.

We don’t know if recipients will be alerted to an edit, or receive a log of what was changed.

It’s also unclear how long you’ll have to edit a message – it probably won’t be an unlimited timer.

And the biggest unknown is exactly when this feature will roll out to the general public.

WhatsApp is always competing with its Apple rival, iMessage.

And at Apple’s WWDC 2022 event earlier this year, Apple confirmed a huge iMessage update that’s now live.

The built-in iPhone messenger now lets you unsend texts – just like WhatsApp.

But the iOS 16 update also adds a text-message editor that will let you tweak missives up to 15 minutes after they’ve been sent.

That means iMessage has beaten WhatsApp to the feature.

If you want to try the latest WhatsApp features first, you can join the app beta.

How to get WhatsApp beta

To download WhatsApp beta for your smartphone you need to go to Google Play on your Android and search for WhatsApp.

Scroll down the page until you see “Become a Beta Tester”.

Tap the “I’m In” button and then click “Join” to confirm.

Now all you have to do is wait for the update to the beta version of the app.

Joining the WhatsApp beta on iOS is more difficult, and has limited capacity.

Follow Apple’s guide here.

How to edit texts on iPhone

Editing messages on WhatsApp might be a while away, but you can modify iMessage texts right now.

Not all iMessages can be tweaked or deleted: there’s a time limit.

You only have 15 minutes to make any changes to a text before the option runs out.

Simply hold down on the message to edit it.

Recipients will be alerted when a text has been edited.

However it won’t be possible to see exactly what changes have been made – unless you had previously seen the message and remembered what it said.

Also important is that both the sender and recipient will need to be on iOS 16 for the feature to work.

So even if you have iOS 16, you won’t be able to unsend or edit a text for a person who hasn’t yet upgraded.

You’ll receive a warning that some people won’t see your edits if this is the case.

For the feature to work, everyone needs to be running iOS 16.

To check if you have it, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

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