WhatsApp Adds Message Editing, Competing with Telegram

Prime Highlights:

WhatsApp launched a feature last week that allowed users to edit the messages they had sent previously within a time frame of 15 minutes.

The edited message will bear a mark that it has been “edited,” but the original message will not be shown.

Key Facts:

You can edit a message by holding down on the message and selecting “Edit” from the menu.

The feature is being introduced incrementally and will be rolled out worldwide in the near future.

Competing apps like Signal and Telegram have offered the same message-editing feature for years.

Key History:

The globe’s favorite messaging app, WhatsApp, has rolled out a feature that enables users to edit messages sent. The feature has been in high demand on WhatsApp and mirrors features provided by rival messaging apps, including Telegram and Signal. Message editing is convenient to correct typos or make a message clearer when sending without having to delete the initial one and send another.

To edit a message, one simply has to long-press the sent message and choose the “Edit” option. If one edits a message, one will be indicated by an “edited” icon, so the other party can see that the content has been edited. However, WhatsApp shows respect for people’s privacy by not showing the original text of the message if one edits it. That is, the recipient can only see the end result of the message.

The feature is being rolled out globally and will be accessible to all WhatsApp users in the weeks to come. It is one of the steps WhatsApp is taking mercilessly towards constructing user experience and competing in the ever-expanding messaging app market. It also provides WhatsApp with a headstart in a market where other messaging platforms, such as Telegram and Signal, have long offered users the feature to edit messages they send.

WhatsApp has never been popular when it comes to messaging, and the inclusion of this feature will further boost its ease of use. Such features as the option to lock chats or keep sensitive conversations private have been on board for quite some time now and demonstrate just how dedicated WhatsApp is to giving the user control and privacy. Through such features as allowing messages to be edited, WhatsApp is only reaching towards what it expects the user to desire as an application usage and thus become compatible and even desirable when coupled with other messaging platforms. Through its universal accessibility, the feature will come as an absolute resource through which users try to edit their messages in ease and in convenience.