How to Delete Messages for Both Parties on WhatsApp 1

How to Delete Messages for Both Parties on WhatsApp

Have you ever texted and instantly regretted it? Or maybe you sent a private message to the wrong person? It is a thought that everyone wants to shake off as soon as possible. In this respect, WhatsApp users have one more thing to worry about.

The popular messaging app allows you to delete a message, both for yourself and the person you’re sending the message to. However, there are some caveats and it is important to know them in advance. This article will tell you everything you need to know about deleting messages on WhatsApp.

Deleting Messages

Imagine you wanted to report your boss to your friend, but instead of texting your friend you accidentally sent it to your boss? It’s a nightmare scenario and it’s happened often before.

If you are using WhatsApp, you have a chance to fix this. Here’s what to do when the message is sent and you realize it went to the wrong person:

  1. Go to the conversation and tap and hold the message you want to delete.
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  2. At the top of the screen, tap the little trash can icon.
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  3. When the pop-up screen appears, select the “Delete for Everyone” option.
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That’s all you have to do. The disadvantage of this process is that some clues about what happened are left behind. The person will see that there is a message and it has been deleted.

What's up

They won’t know what you’re saying, which is much better. It can always be easily explained as a mistake. It will say “You deleted this message” for you.

Time limit

Now, here is something vital you need to remember. You can only delete a message on WhatsApp within a seven-minute time frame. After that, the “Delete for Everyone” feature is gone. This may seem frustrating, but in many ways it makes sense.

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As you can see, the delete option is missing for everyone.

WhatsApp understands that people are never too far from their phones and it usually takes a few minutes for them to read the message after hearing the notification sound. And most of the time, it’s much faster than that. That’s why you should act fast when you realize that you have made a mistake.

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The person can see the message in a few seconds, and once they see it, it doesn’t matter whether you delete it or not. The damage has been done. However, as long as the WhatsApp ticks do not turn blue, you have a chance to change the result of this error.

Delete for both

Is There a Way to Cheat the System?

It becomes very difficult to accept the time limit WhatsApp gives you to go back and delete the message or messages when the person you’re texting hasn’t seen it yet. Fortunately, the time has been increased from seven minutes to an hour, giving you time to delete your messages for everyone.

The “Delete For Everyone” option is gone, and it’s only a matter of time before they’ll read it. You can still delete it for yourself, but it won’t make you feel any better.

However, there is something you can do that is worth trying, not to mention that it does not guarantee the desired result. Still, many people reported that it fixed their problem. You can change the date of your phone and then go back and delete the message for everyone.

This option is useful in the unlikely scenario that the person you’re sending a message to doesn’t see what you’ve sent even after days or weeks. Maybe they’re traveling or their phones are off. Here’s what you need to do:

Disconnect your phone from the Internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data).

Go to your phone’s settings and change your phone’s date to one day before the message is sent.

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Select the message or messages and tap the delete button. Select “Delete for Everyone”.

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Go back to settings and correct the date of the phone.

Connect your phone to the internet again.

This should do the trick. And whether the messages have been read or not, they will now be deleted for both your phone and the recipient’s phone. Sure, this seems like a bit more work, but it’s worth it if you can finally delete the messages.

Sometimes people change their minds about sending a photo or text message long after that hour has passed. Some even want to go back and delete all conversations. It might take a long time to erase all of this, but they would happily do it for peace of mind.

How to delete for both

Frequently Asked Questions

If I block a contact on WhatsApp, can they still see my messages?

If you’re considering blocking a contact to delete all your messages, you’d be horrified to know that it won’t work. Unfortunately, if you block someone on WhatsApp, all your messages will remain in their app.

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If you block someone, the only thing that will change is that they can no longer see your profile, message you, or call you.

Unfortunately, the same principle applies to deleting your account. If you permanently delete your account, your sent messages will remain in the other user’s app.

I accidentally deleted a message for myself instead of everyone else. can i fix it

Unfortunately, it is incredibly difficult to undelete a message that you deleted before you can delete it again for everyone. You can try to uninstall the app from your phone and then download it again. WhatsApp should ask if you want to restore all your messages. Select ‘Yes’ and continue with the installation process.

If the message appears, you can delete it. If not, there’s really no way to retrieve it from the receiver’s devices.

I deleted a photo, but the photo is still in the recipient. What happened?

If you need more reasons to be cautious when posting photos, here’s another one; The iOS version of WhatsApp automatically stores received photos in the phone’s native gallery app.

This basically means that all the photos you send in the app can be permanently stored on someone else’s phone and you have no choice but to politely get them back.

Even if you delete the message immediately, the phone may have recognized the image and downloaded it.

type carefully

Everyone has made this mistake before in one way or another. Maybe you pressed “reply all” instead of “reply” to an email and kept saying something you probably shouldn’t have said. Or you posted it in your stream instead of sending it as a direct message. It’s possible. So, if you were distracted or typed too fast and made a mistake while composing a WhatsApp message, be quick to correct it. And you may have a chance to avoid embarrassment.

Has anything like this happened to you before? Let us know in the comments section below.

Moyens I/O Staff has motivated you, giving you tips on technology, personal development, lifestyle and strategies that will help you.