Facebook To Push Out A New Unsend Feature for Messenger
Last updated September 27, 2021
- Facebook Messenger users will soon be able to unsend their messages in an upcoming update.
- Users will have 10 minutes after messages are delivered to remove them from the recipients’ inboxes.
- The remove feature has rolled out in Poland, Bolivia, Colombia, and Lithuania and will be available in other countries soon.
Facebook is currently testing an unsend feature for Messenger in select countries ahead of the feature’s global rollout. Messages can be unsent only within the first 10 minutes after they are delivered to recipients if they have not been seen. A new “tombstone” button has been added which can be tapped to remove a message. To prevent harassment, the social media platform will be retaining messages in case of reports and policy violations.
Facebook’s Head of Messenger Stan Chudnovsky revealed “The pros are that users want to be in control and if you make a mistake you can correct it. There are a lot of legitimate use cases out there that we wanted to enable. We need to make sure we don’t open up any new venues for bullying. We need to make sure people aren’t sending you bad messages and then removing them because if you report them and the messages aren’t there, we can’t do anything.”
There were reports of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg’s messages being removed from inboxes of all recipients in April, and there were no tombstone markets with no indicators that they had been removed. The company said at the time that it was to protect the privacy of its executives and preserve trade secrets, citing Sony Pictures’ infamous hack in 2014.
The company accidentally leaked that the unsend feature is coming by the Messenger's release notes last week via App Store. Facebook-owned platforms Instagram and WhatsApp have had access to an unsend feature since a considerable amount of time. Facebook explained the delay citing engineering challenges that they faced while developing the feature.
After the update is available for you, you will be able to remove all types of messages including texts, group chats, videos, photos and more within 10 minutes of sending them. You can only delete messages you send to recipients from their inboxes only. The messages will stay for review for a short while in case your recipients report you for violating any community guidelines. To access the unsend feature you simply need to tap and hold on a sent message, and you will get access to the “Remove” button.
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