One of the inconveniences of what is supposed to be one of the most convenient means of getting word around, messaging apps, is how tasking it can be when one wants to recall a message they have already sent. Either in error or as a result of a change in whatever circumstances one is in, for a long time, that has been a one-way street. The end result, more so for errors made, has been a string of embarrassments for the parties concerned. I mean, how do you come back from sharing your lewd images in the company messaging group?
While we have seen the trend towards letting users “recall” already sent messages over the last few years, first with Telegram and then with WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook’s messaging application, has so far held back from joining the bandwagon and its absence is very well notable.
The irony here is that while the company has been hard on giving its users the power they so desire over their communication, its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has fully exploiting the perks that come with being at the head of a social network that connects over 2 billion people by being able to, well, delete his messages not only from his own conversation threads but also from the recipients end [details].
Now, going forward, that won’t be the case as an update that is currently hitting Android devices brings the ability for users to delete messages they have already sent so that they don’t show up both in their chat records as well as those of they’re conversing with.
Like other messaging apps, Messenger’s unsend feature will only work for messages sent within a certain time window. In this case, a 10-minute window. After that, one will have to learn the hard way about living with the consequences of their deeds.
As is the case on other apps, the deleted message will be replaced by a text indicating that that had happened.
While those 10 minutes are more than WhatsApp, another Facebook-owned messaging app, had at first when it rolled out the feature, they’re nothing compared to the over 1 hour that WhatsApp users have to rethink what they’ve shared today and the 2 days that Telegram users have. Still, better something than nothing, right?
