Twitter is not the only platform that is working on a button to modify, if any, previously shared posts. WhatsApp, the messaging app owned by Meta (Facebook) is also designing a function that will allow edit those messages already sent to the recipientas revealed wabetainfo. The portal has also shared some important details about this feature, as well as different screenshots that show the location of the option and its operation.
The button to edit messages in WhatsApp seems to be a complementary option to the possibility of deleting previously sent chats. Specifically, it will allow you to correct poorly formulated texts, typos or misspellings, without having to delete the original message and send a new one. The function will appear when the user clicks on a specific chat , next to the option to copy or to get more information. By clicking the ‘Edit’ button, the content of that message will appear back in the text box for editing. Subsequently, the sender will have to press the send button and the message and WhatsApp will replace it.
wabetainfo ensures that, at least for the time being, the function does not show an edit history. Therefore, neither the sender nor the recipient will be able to see the original message or if there have been previous changes. It is also not clear whether the messaging app will show a notice as soon as that text has been edited, as it happens, for example, in Slack, Discord or Telegram. WhatsApp, on the other hand, could set a time limit for editing that message, as it already does with the ability to delete them.
Curiously, it is not the first time that WhatsApp has proposed a button to edit messages. In fact, heThe company also proposed to include this function in the app five years ago, although they finally discarded it. The feature, however, is still under development. Therefore, it could take a few months to reach all users. It will be available, yes, on all devices compatible with WhatsApp: iOS, Android and in the different desktop versions (web and app).
The ability to edit messages on WhatsApp, on the other hand, will make the option to permanently delete them primarily intended for delete those chats that we have regretted sending or that for any other reason we do not want the recipient to read.