WhatsApp Web Reportedly Adds Edit Message Feature on Latest Beta Version: How It Works

WhatsApp has begun testing a feature that allows users to edit sent messages on the latest beta version of its Web app. The Meta-owned messaging service was previously spotted working on a pop-up alert that informed users after a message was edited. Now, the ability to modify a text message after it has been sent has been rolled out to some beta testers. At the moment, users have a short duration after a message is sent before editing is disabled.

Version 2.2319.9 of WhatsApp Web comes with a new feature, according to WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo. Users who are running this version of the WhatsApp Web client will see a new action Edit message on the right-click menu. It is worth noting that the ability to edit messages is currently limited to text messages.

Users will only have 15 minutes to edit a message after it has been sent, according to details shared by the feature tracker. You can edit a message multiple times, and editing messages works in chats and in groups, WABetaInfo says.

Users have up to five minutes to edit a message after it has been sent
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

It is worth noting that when iOS 16 was released last year, Apple introduced the ability to edit texts sent via the Messages app within 15 minutes, but each text can only be edited five times.

While the ability to edit messages is currently only available on the latest beta version of WhatsApp Web, the feature tracker claims that the feature is likely to make its way to the beta versions of WhatsApp for Android and iOS soon. WABetaInfo says that an alert informing users that a message has been edited has been spotted on WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.10.10, adding that this is probably the final step before the feature is rolled out for testing. 

WhatsApp recently rolled out a range of features including the ability to create single-vote polls, search for polls in chats by using filters, and receive notifications when group members vote on a poll. Users can also forward media along with exiting captions, or remove these captions while forwarding messages from one chat to another. They can also add captions to documents, according to the messaging service.