WhatsApp users can now edit sent messages within a 15-minute window

The users can change their message by long-press on a sent message and choose 'Edit' from the menu for up to fifteen minutes after sending it

Meta-owned messenger app WhatsApp on Monday rolled out a highly awaited feature that allows users to edit a message 15 minutes after sending it.

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms, announced this on Facebook.

Users can change their message by long-press and choose ‘edit’ from the menu. An edited message will display the ‘edited’ tag alongside, but the person receiving it may not be able to see the edit history.

The feature has started rolling out and will be available to everyone in coming weeks.

“We’re excited that you’ll now have more control over your chats, such as correcting misspellings or adding more context to a message. For this, within 15 minutes of sending the message, you have to tap and hold that message for a while and then select the option of ‘Edit’ from the menu,” the company said in a blog post.

“As with all personal messages, media and calls, your messages and the edits will be protected by end-to-end encryption,” WhatsApp said.

WhatsApp’s competitors, including Telegram and Signal, have been offering users the ability to edit messages. Telegram even offers users a 48-hour window to modify a sent message. However, until now WhatsApp users could only delete their message.

Apart from giving the option of correcting spellings or adding context to a message, the feature will give users the chance to rephrase it.