WhatsApp’s latest feature allows sent messages to be edited

WhatsApp users will be able to edit their messages in the coming weeks, announced the Meta-owned messaging app on Tuesday (May 23). 

Whether it is to correct a typo or to change the content of the message, WhatsApp’s new feature lets users modify their messages within 15 minutes of pressing send. 

Users can access this function by long-pressing on a sent message and choosing “Edit” from the menu. The modified message will display “Edited” alongside them, without showing the edit history. 

The ability to edit messages is the latest to be implemented by the app in the last two months. Here is a list of five other new WhatsApp features. 

This new feature was announced on May 16 and allows users to hide their most intimate conversations from prying eyes. 

Chat Lock protects conversations with a password and moves them into its own folder that can only be accessed by users’ device password or biometric. Notifications from the locked chat will also be hidden. 

For this function, users can tap the name of an individual or group before selecting the lock option. To reveal these chats, users can slowly pull down on their inbox and enter either their phone password or biometric. 

Over the next few months, WhatsApp will be updating Chat Lock with more options. For instance, users will be able to lock companion devices and create custom passwords for their chats.

With the updated polling feature, users can make group plans more easily, announced WhatsApp on May 5.

When a definitive answer is needed, single-vote polls can be created. In these polls, users can only vote for one option. To use this feature, just turn off “allow multiple answers” when creating a poll.

Poll creators can also stay updated on the results. Whenever people vote on their tolls, they will receive notifications.

Users can also search for polls in their chats by filtering messages by polls – similar to how they can for photos, videos and links. For this, users can go onto the “Chats” screen before pressing “search” and then “polls” to find a list of results. 

Also announced on May 5, users can now keep, delete or rewrite captions when forwarding media that already has a caption. They can also add captions to photos and videos when forwarding them.

Similarly, they now have the option to add a caption to documents such as newspaper articles or work documents.

This feature, which was announced on Apr 25, allows users to link their primary phone to up to four additional devices the same way they link their WhatsApp to web browsers, tablets and desktops. 

Each linked phone connects to WhatsApp independently and will safeguard users’ personal messages, media, and calls using end-to-end encryption. 

Using this function will allow users to seamlessly switch between phones without signing out.

Users can save Disappearing Messages, which are automatically deleted after a set period of time, with the Keep in Chat feature announced on Apr 21.

The sender of the message is notified after the recipients save a message. The sender can also decide whether or not the message can be saved. If they disagree, the message will be deleted when the timer expires.

Messages saved in the Keep in Chat feature will be noted with a bookmark icon.