WhatsApp says it will allow users to edit messages, in a move that will
see it match a feature offered by competitors like Telegram and Discord.
The firm
says messages can be edited for up to 15 minutes after being sent.
The instant-messaging service is part of US technology giant
Meta, which also owns Facebook and Instagram.
The feature will made be available to WhatsApp's 2 billion
users in the coming weeks. It counts India as its largest market, with 487
million users.
“From correcting a simple misspelling
to adding extra context to a message, we’re excited to bring you more control
over your chat,” the
messaging service disclosed in a blog post earlier this week.
"All you need to do is
long-press on a sent message and choose 'Edit' from the menu for up to fifteen
minutes after,"
it added.
Edited messages will be tagged as "edited", so
recipients are aware that the content has been changed.
However, they will not be shown how the message has been
tweaked over time.
WhatsApp's
announcement came after the feature was offered by messaging services Telegram
and Signal.
The edit function was introduced by the social media platform
Facebook almost a decade ago. Around that time, Facebook revealed that more
than half of its users accessed the site on mobile phones, which are more prone to
typing errors.
On
Facebook, updates that are modified are marked as edited. A history of the
edits is also available for users to view.
Last year, Elon Musk's social media platform Twitter said it
was giving its paying subscribers the ability to edit their tweets.
Tweets can be edited a few times in
the 30 minutes after posting.
“Tweeting will feel more approachable
and less stressful,” Twitter
said in a blog post at the time.
“You would be able to participate in
the conversation in a way that makes sense to you and we’ll keep on ways that
make it feel effortless to do just that,” the platform added.