First spotted by the folks at WABetaInfo (via), WhatsApp is seemingly testing a version of the app where messages can be deleted no matter when it was sent, effectively removing the time limit. This feature appeared within the latest WhatsApp beta v2.21.23.1 through the Google Play Beta Program. WABetaInfo managed to delete a message sent up to three months ago using the “Delete For Everyone” option.
There’s no word on when this feature will widely roll out to users
When the feature was first launched, WhatsApp allowed users to delete messages for up to seven minutes. This was then extended to 4,096 seconds or just over an hour. Deleting the message from a group or individual chat replaces the original notification with a note saying, “This message was deleted.” The new indefinite time limit for message deletion is only available in beta. Unfortunately, we don’t have an ETA for this feature right now. Hopefully, WhatsApp will bring this out with the next major app update. As Android Police points out, apps like Signal and Telegram have long supported message deletion with no time limits. So WhatsApp is merely catching up to its rivals in the business. The revelation of this indefinite timeframe for message deletion comes a day after WhatsApp lost compatibility with Android 4.0.3 smartphones. From November 1, the app will require at least Android 4.1 to operate, leaving out millions of users from its services. However, this change wasn’t sudden, with WhatsApp issuing prior warnings to customers. In September, WhatsApp finally brought end-to-end encryption for chat backups stored on Google Drive. Although the company previously supported this security standard for chats stored on the device, this didn’t apply to backups until the update. More recently, we heard about the chat client bringing a revamped version of its multi-device feature by permitting the use of a second phone. Currently, WhatsApp only allows one primary smartphone while it supports secondary devices like tablets, computers, or even the Portal. As is the case with most under-development features, there’s no clarity on when this will roll out to devices.
