WhatsApp allows users to delete sent messages within up to 7 minutes of pressing "send". So, if you've ever written something in a WhatApp conversation and you want to delete that reply, you have this option.
WhatsApp is launching a new message retrieval feature that allows you to delete certain messages that you have sent in a group conversation or in an individual conversation. "This feature is especially useful when you have written a message in the wrong conversation or if the message you sent contains errors," WhatsApp wrote on the FAQ page about the new feature.
To test the deletion of inappropriate messages, press and hold the message you want to delete or choose "Delete" from the menu, then select "Delete for Everyone". You can also select certain messages at the same time if you want to get rid of several of them at once.
"The messages you successfully delete will be replaced with the text - This message has been deleted - in the conversations of the interlocutors", explains WhatsApp. "By the way, if you see - This message has been deleted - in a conversation, it means that the sender has deleted the message for everyone."
There are, however, some limitations to this feature that are important to consider. Specifically, you can only delete messages for everyone involved in just 7 minutes from the time you sent the message. "Once the 7 minutes have passed, you have no chance to delete the messages for everyone," warns WhatsApp. In addition, the message deletion feature in the conversation only works on the latest version of WhatsApp, so if your interlocutors use an older version of the messaging app, they will still see the message and will not be notified if the deletion was unsuccessful.