WhatsApp is testing a new feature that will give group administrators more power. While WhatsApp has long supported the ability to delete messages in chats, admins cannot currently delete messages sent by group members. However, this could change very soon.
According to WABetainfo, the Meta-owned instant messaging app is testing a new feature that will allow administrators to delete messages for everyone in groups. This means that if you’re the moderator of a WhatsApp group, you’ll be able to delete unwanted or inappropriate messages sent by group members.
When a message is deleted, WhatsApp notifies the user that “This was deleted by an admin” and displays the user who deleted the message.
As WABetoinfo points out, this feature is still in development and is not yet available to end users. We don’t know when WhatsApp intends to make it available to everyone. If WhatsApp does not scrap it, the feature will most likely first appear on WhatsApp beta before moving to the stable channel.
The ability for everyone to delete messages comes after we learned last month that WhatsApp was considering removing the time limit for deleting messages. Currently, WhatsApp users have 4,096 seconds (68 minutes and 16 seconds) after sending a message to delete it. However, it appears that in the future, WhatsApp may allow you to delete any message you sent at any point in time.
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Over the last few weeks, WhatsApp has gained several new features and enhancements. WhatsApp received regulatory approval last month to expand WhatsApp Pay, a UPI-powered payment service, to 40 million users in India. The app then received new Disappearing Messages options, Novi wallet integration for payments in the US, the ability to preview voice messages, and other updates this month.
