If you’ve ever sent a drunk or mistaken text over WhatsApp then you’ll be glad the service is considering a new option to correct poor life decisions. Mashable reports that WhatsApp is testing a feature that will allow you to revoke a message once it has been sent. Twitter account @WABetaInfo, that regularly tracks new WhatsApp features, discovered the addition in recent beta copies of WhatsApp.
It’s not immediately clear how long a WhatsApp user will have to revoke the message, but the screenshots appear to suggest you’ll be able to revoke a message as long as the recipient hasn’t viewed it. A revoke option appears next to a message with a single tick, WhatApp’s indicator that it has been sent to the server, but not delivered to or viewed by the recipient. A double tick indicates a message has been delivered (possibly with a notification) but not read, and it’s unlikely WhatsApp users will be able to revoke these messages if they’ve generated a notification on a recipient device.
SNEAK PEEK #1:
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) December 14, 2016
WhatsApp beta for iOS 2.17.1.869: it is possible to revoke messages! pic.twitter.com/Ncj22txxcG
WhatsApp also appears to be testing a new live location tracking feature, allowing users to track friends in a group in real-time. That could make it a lot easier to meet up with friends, and initial beta versions allow you to share your real-time location for a few minutes at a time or indefinitely. WhatsApp could decide not to ship these features, as they’re part of a beta test, but a revoke message feature would certainly be a welcome addition to the messaging service.
2.17.3.28 iOS | 2.16.399+ Android: Live Location feature, that tracks the live location of other group participants (DISABLED BY DEFAULT). pic.twitter.com/pYEXT1nxyR
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) January 26, 2017