There’s no need to panic if you sent a WhatsApp message to the wrong person. The messenger app allows you to delete messages. Read our step-by-step instructions on how to delete messages – either for yourself or for everyone.
WhatsApp: How to delete messages for yourself
In WhatsApp, you have the possibility to delete your copy of a message at any time (without deleting them for other people, too). You can do this with messages written by you, but also with those that were sent to you.
Open WhatsApp and the chat containing the message you want to delete.
Tap and hold the message.
On Android, you can also select multiple messages and delete them all at once.
On iPhone, you’ll see a menu. Tap the last option: “Delete”. In the next step, you’ll have the possibility to select more messages (check by tapping the circle next to them).
Tap “Delete” and then “Delete for me”.
To delete a message in WhatsApp, tap and hold the message to select it. Then, select “Delete” (on iPhone) or the “Trash” icon (on Android). (c) Screenshot
How to delete messages for everyone
If you want to delete a message for everyone, you must do it during the first hour after sending the message.The option has a time limit and you can only delete messages written by you. The steps that you need to follow are similar to the ones mentioned above:
Open WhatsApp and the chat where you sent the message that you now wish to delete.
Tap and hold the message.
If you use an iPhone, tap “Delete” in the menu. And select the message(s) that you wish to delete.
On your Android phone, select the message(s) that you want to delete.
Tap “Delete” and then “Delete for Everyone”.
Instead of the message, you and the recipient(s) will now see a text saying that the message was deleted.
Deleting the messages for everyone only functions if both you and the recipient(s) use the newest WhatsApp version.
On iOS, users can activate the option to save media files that they receive on WhatsApp. If you delete a message containing a media file, but the recipient(s) saved it, the file won’t be deleted from their phones.
As mentioned above, bear in mind that you can only delete the message during the first hour after sending it.
