Did you ever send a message and immediately regret it? Is it possible to send a private message to the wrong person? That’s one less thing WhatsApp users need to worry about.
It’s possible to delete a message in both the messaging app and the person you sent it to. There are, however, some caveats, and it’s essential to know about them in advance. You will learn everything you need to know about deleting WhatsApp messages in this article.
When you delete a message from the chat, you can only delete it from your side. However, there is a way to delete messages for both sides. The process of how to delete messages for both sides in WhatsApp is quite easy.
In this article, we will cover the steps that you need to take to get your conversation back on track.
The Time Limitation
There is a seven-minute limit for deleting WhatsApp messages. After that, the “Delete for Everyone” feature will no longer be available. This makes sense, even though it might seem frustrating.
When people hear the notification sound, it usually takes them a few minutes to read the message since they are never far from their phones. Often, it’s much faster than that. To avoid making the same mistake again, you must act quickly when you discover your error.
Whether or not you delete the message won’t matter once the person receives it in a matter of seconds; there has been damage done. It is still possible to change the outcome of this mistake as long as the WhatsApp ticks don’t turn blue.
4 Free Ways to Delete WhatsApp Chat History Permanently
This article will teach you how to delete your WhatsApp chat history permanently. It is a good idea to delete all the messages that you have sent in the past. This way, it will not be possible for anyone else to see them, and you won’t have to worry about someone from your past contacting you.
Method 1: Delete WhatsApp Messages from the Chat
There is a direct way to delete WhatsApp messages within the app itself. Following the steps below, you can delete individual messages, conversations, groups, or your entire chat history. When you delete a message from your phone, it is permanently deleted. To delete individual messages from a conversation, follow these steps:
- Select the message you wish to delete from the chat window in WhatsApp.
- You can hold the message by tapping and holding.
- Click Delete, then Delete for me.
Method 2: Delete WhatsApp Messages Permanently for Both iPhone & Android.
It is possible to delete specific messages you have sent to an individual or group chat by deleting messages for everyone. There are some preconditions you should know:
- Ensure that the recipients are using the latest WhatsApp version.
- The media you sent may remain in the Photos of recipients using WhatsApp for iOS, even after the message is deleted.
- If deleting failed, you won’t receive a message.
- Once you’ve sent a message, you have about an hour to request to delete it for everyone.
You can now delete WhatsApp messages from both sides by following this guide.
- Go to the WhatsApp chat containing the message you wish to delete.
- You can hold the message by tapping it. If you want to delete multiple messages, you can select more ones.
- You can delete everyone by tapping Delete>Delete for all.
Method 3: Permanently Delete WhatsApp Messages from the Backup
Known to us; WhatsApp can back up data at a specific time. To permanently delete WhatsApp chats, you must delete the backups described below. Consider the following before you begin:
- You can find your chat history backup files in the folder ./sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases
- These folders cannot be accessed outside of WhatsApp.
- To delete these files, you will need a file manager.
Method 4: Delete WhatsApp Messages from the Google Account.
You can access Google Drive from a computer by visiting drive.google.com. In this section, you will find all the WhatsApp storage backups (the backups will only be here if you accept this when installing WhatsApp).
The automatic backup option can be disabled by going to Settings icon >> Settings >> Chats >> Chat backup >> Back up to Google Drive >> Never.
The steps above should have successfully deleted the WhatsApp conversations for good if you followed them correctly. Follow these steps to recover your conversations, but remember that they can’t be recovered.
Conclusion
Messages are a part of our daily life, especially regarding messaging apps such as WhatsApp. With these messages, we share our thoughts and feelings with the people we care about most. But sometimes, these messages can be too much, and they can create unnecessary tension in the relationship.
The benefits of deleting messages can be seen in a few ways. First, it reduces clutter in your inbox and makes conversations more concise. Second, it can help you focus on what’s important by eliminating the noise from your day-to-day life. Third, it helps you stay organised and save time looking for important messages that you may have missed out on.
FAQ
Can you Delete messages for both on WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is a free messaging app that allows users to send messages and make phone calls to anyone who uses WhatsApp. It also provides an option for deleting messages for both the sender and recipient.
Whether you can delete messages for both on WhatsApp is common among users. Though the answer depends on your device, it is possible to delete messages from your device but not from your friend’s device.
How do I permanently Delete WhatsApp chat and media that can never be recovered in any way?
With the recent WhatsApp data breach, it is important to know how to permanently delete your chat history and media that can never be recovered in any way. If you want to permanently delete your WhatsApp chat history and media that can never be recovered, follow these steps:
- Open the WhatsApp application on your phone.
- Tap on the three dots at the top right corner of the screen and select “Settings” from the menu that appears.
- Tap on “Account” followed by “Privacy & Security”, then “Delete My Account”.
- Enter your password to confirm the deletion of the account. If you want to delete all your chats, select “Delete All Chats” followed by “Confirm Deletion”. Otherwise, skip this step and go back to step 2.
- Press the “Delete My Account” button.
- You will get a confirmation.
How can I Delete old WhatsApp messages permanently for everyone?
Deleting old WhatsApp messages is not an easy task. You need to delete the messages one by one, and it can be a tedious process. If you want to delete all your old WhatsApp messages permanently, use WhatsApp’s “Delete for Everyone” feature.
To delete old WhatsApp messages, go to Settings > Account > Delete for Everyone.
You’ll be prompted with a warning message that says, “This will permanently delete your chat history.” Tap on Delete Chat History, and you’ll get a confirmation message saying, “Your chat history has been deleted.”
