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How to edit your WhatsApp messages
WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messaging apps in the world, but it is surprisingly slow to add new features. Competing apps like Telegram have had the ability to edit messages for years now, but WhatsApp has finally added this feature on May 22, 2023. The catch is that you only have 15 minutes within which you can edit your sent message. Here’s how you can edit your WhatsApp messages.
QUICK ANSWER
To edit WhatsApp messages on Android and iOS, long press on a recently sent message, click the three-dot menu button on the top right corner, and click on Edit. Make the changes in the text field, and click the green check button to save your changes.
JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS
How to edit WhatsApp messages on Android and iOS
WhatsApp has kept the feature very simple. If you make a mistake in your sent text, you can edit it and make corrections. WhatsApp allows you to edit sent messages for up to fifteen minutes after being sent, after which the message is locked and is no longer editable.
Further, messages that are edited will display an “edited” status next to the timestamp. Others can also see the edit history of the message.
To edit a message on WhatsApp, follow these steps:
- Open WhatsApp on your Android phone or iPhone.
- Open a chat and send a message. Note that you can only edit messages sent within the last 15 minutes.
- Long press on the sent message that you want to edit.
- Click on the three-dot menu button in the top right corner.
- Click Edit.
- The text field will now show the previous message, letting you make the changes that you need to make.
- Once you are done editing, click on the green tick to save your edit.
And you’re done. Editing messages is very simple once you get the hang of it.
Why don’t I have the option to edit a message on WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is rolling out this feature gradually across the globe for mobile users. If you don’t have the feature yet, you will have to wait a few weeks for the feature to roll out to your account. It helps if you are on the latest version of WhatsApp available for your platform.
The message editing feature is also currently limited to Android and iOS only. You cannot edit messages on the desktop app or on the web app. WhatsApp has not mentioned when the feature will be available on desktops and the web.
As mentioned, you also cannot edit messages that are older than 15 minutes.
If you found this tutorial helpful, you will also appreciate these WhatsApp tips and tricks that all users should know about.
FAQs
You can edit WhatsApp messages within 15 minutes of sending them.