WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging services worldwide. Well, before all the iMessage folks pounce on us – there’s a world outside of the Apple ecosystem where apps like WhatsApp and Telegram play an integral part. While WhatsApp isn’t as feature-rich as Telegram, it’s been catching up lately with features like using the same WhatsApp number on two phones. Another recently introduced feature is the ability to undo deleted messages.
If you accidentally deleted a message and want to recover it, you can now do so with the help of WhatsApp’s native undo feature. If you’re someone with clumsy fingers tapping on icons without reading the label underneath, here’s how to undo deleted WhatsApp messages on your phone.
What is the “Undo delete” function for?
WhatsApp’s new feature may not seem like a big deal at first glance. Yes, you can undo and restore deleted messages, but you might think this isn’t all that useful. Well, if you’re someone like me who in a hurry clicked the “Delete for me” button instead of the “Delete for everyone” option, this new feature is a lifesaver.
This allows you to undelete and restore the message. After you do this, you can delete the message for everyone if that’s what you originally intended. You can also use it when you delete multiple messages and accidentally delete an important one. The gist of it is that you can figure out your use case, but this is a great feature indeed.
Supported devices for WhatsApp Undo feature
Currently, the ability to undo deleted messages is available on both WhatsApp for Android and iPhone. It’s also a wide rollout for all WhatsApp users and not just limited to the beta testers. No matter what device you use, you should use the feature immediately.
Go to Play Store if you are using Android or App Store if you are using iPhone and update WhatsApp to the latest version to get this feature. After updating, follow the steps below to use it.
How to undo deleted WhatsApp messages
Step 1: Open the conversation in which you want to delete a WhatsApp message.
Step 2: If you deleted the message for yourself by accidentally tapping “Delete for me,” you’ll now see a small banner at the bottom with an undo button. Tap on it.
The deleted message will be restored.
Step 3: Now you can select the message again and choose the option “Delete for everyone”.
Note that if you choose to delete the message for everyone, the undo option will not appear. The action is irreversible. This is understandable as in most cases you would need the undo feature to save yourself from the embarrassment of sending a wrong message to a contact or group and then deleting it for yourself rather than everyone.
Frequently asked questions about undeleted messages on WhatsApp
Yes, the same procedure can also be used to recover a deleted image. In fact, any media file including video, audio or document can be recovered using this method.
WhatsApp gives you 5 seconds to undo a deleted message. As soon as you delete a message for yourself, you will see a small banner at the bottom of the screen that lasts for 5 seconds. If you don’t tap the undo button during this time, it will disappear and you won’t be able to recover the message afterwards.
No, you can currently only undo deleted messages. However, you can delete and restore older messages from a chat, even if the message was sent before this feature was introduced.
Unfortunately, the option to undo deleted WhatsApp chats is not there yet. But it would be a nice feature for sure. So we hope that WhatsApp will introduce it in the near future.
Recover accidentally deleted messages
At first glance, this is a fairly basic feature, but many users may find it useful. If you accidentally sent a meme to the office group about your boss and deleted it for yourself in a frenzy, with the new undelete message feature on WhatsApp you no longer have to worry about losing your job.
