WhatsApp Delete for Everyone will not always actually unsend your messages

You should still think twice before sending anything you might later come to regret

WhatsApp has introduced its long-awaited “Unsend” feature, but it doesn’t appear to be working for all users yet.

The app now lets you delete messages for everyone in a conversation, making them completely disappear from the chat.

However, the speed of its rollout – and certain caveats – means you should still think twice before sending messages you might later come to regret.

As noted by WABetaInfo, the rollout of Delete for Everyone is proving “very slow”. That means the update is yet to reach all WhatsApp users.

“If Delete for Everyone isn't available yet for you, it's all ok,” tweeted WABetaInfo over the weekend. “Don't worry. In the next week there will be other rolls out to get the feature.”

That said, even if you are using the latest version of WhatsApp, you might not be able to use Delete for Everyone.

An FAQ page on WhatsApp’s website explains that both you and the person you’re chatting to need to be using the latest version of the app, in order for Delete for Everyone to work.

What’s more, it only applies to messages that are no more than seven minutes old. If you try to delete something you sent eight minutes ago, you won’t be able to.

WhatsApp also says there’s a chance the person you’ve been chatting to may see your message before you try to revoke it, and that you will not be notified if one of your attempts to use Delete for Everyone is unsuccessful.

Despite its limitations, Delete for Everyone is a very handy feature that has the potential to rescue lots of users from embarrassing or awkward situations.

“This is particularly useful if you sent a message to the wrong chat or if the message you sent contains a mistake,” reads the WhatsApp FAQ.

However, lots of people are also likely to use it on ill-advised drunken texts.