Instant messaging app WhatsApp, owned by Meta, has a feature that allows its users to delete texts from a chat both for themselves as well as the recipient. However, the feature allows one to do so only for one hour, eight minutes, and sixteen seconds to do so, from the time a message was sent. Once this time limit has been passed, users can no longer delete this message for everyone.
However, as per reports by WhatsApp web development tracker WABetainfo, WhatsApp is likely to soon roll out the new beta 2.22.4.10 version of the app. The new update is expected to increase this time limit to two days and twelve hours, or 36 hours. However, since it is still under development, the feature is not available to beta testers as of yet. This is the second such update since 2018 when WhatsApp extended the time limit from merely seven minutes to the current one hour, eight minutes and sixteen seconds.
Around November 2021, speculations were rife that this time limit may be extended to seven days. The same, however, never materialised. Meanwhile, WhatsApp has been working on an array of other new features. It has reportedly been working on an emoticon reaction feature which allows users to react to texts with emoticons. The feature is already available to Facebook Messenger and Instagram direct message users, and will soon be rolled out to WhatsApp users on both Android and iOS.
Furthermore, it also recently added new features to WhatsApp Desktop, which allowed users to edit photos while sending messages via their PCs, as well as attend video and voice calls.