WhatsApp seems to be working on a new feature for groups that will allow admins to delete any message for every member in the group. WABetaInfo reports that the feature is currently under development and will be rolling out to beta testers in the coming days.
The report does have a screenshot that gives us a look at the feature. It shows a pop whenever an admin chooses to delete any message in the group. The pop up reads, “As an admin, you are deleting someone else’s message for everyone in this chat. They will see that you deleted the message.” Admins will also get presented with an option to cancel this or delete the message. Upon deleting the message, all the group members will be able to see that the group admin has deleted the message.
In addition to the “delete for everyone in groups” feature, WhatsApp is also planning to extend the time duration of the delete for everyone feature from 1 hour, 8 minutes, 16 seconds to 2 days and 12 hours in future.
WhatsApp first introduced the “delete for everyone” feature in 2017. WhatsApp earlier used to offer a time limit of 7 minutes for users to delete messages for everyone. The feature was a saving grace for users who sent some message accidentally, saving them from embarrassment.
The introduction of a delete message for everyone feature for group admins might be a great moderation tool for group administrators. In addition to the ability to restrict members from sending messages or preventing them from making any unauthorised changes to the group info, this feature could curb misinformation spreading in WhatsApp groups.
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