Instant messaging platform, WhatsApp, has announced a new feature that allows users to edit messages on the app.
Meta CEO, who announced the new feature on Monday, said sent messages can still be edited 15 minutes after it has been sent. Before now, users had to either delete a message or send a correction in a separate message.
However, WhatsApp’s competitors like Telegram and Signal have long offered functionality to edit messages. Twitter also introduced the edit button for paid users last year.
On Telegram, the users have up to 48 hours to edit their messages, which makes the 15 minutes offered by WhatsApp a very short window compared with Telegram. There is, however, a possibility of an extension of the window by WhatsApp. Last year, the chat app increased the time limit to delete a message from 48 hours to 60 hours.
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The editing feature is the latest of several features WhatsApp had rolled out in the past weeks. A few days ago, Zuckerberg announced Chat Lock, a new feature that allows users to lock and hide conversations on the app.
According to Zuckerberg’s explanation of the feature, Chat Lock will remove a chat thread from the app’s regular onscreen inbox and place it into a new folder that can only be opened by a password or biometric, such as facial recognition or a fingerprint.
Calling it “one more layer of security”, Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, added Chat Lock will protect “your most intimate conversations” and hide notifications from them. As part of its privacy package, Meta allows WhatsApp users to encrypt their backups, block the ability to screenshot, and make their messages disappear automatically.
When a chat is locked, you can ensure that sensitive information and personal data in that conversation remain secure, even if someone else gains access to your phone. This level of control enhances your overall conversation security and protects your privacy.