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Facebook’s new ‘Unsend’ feature may be in testing in the Messenger app

Published Jan 2nd, 2019 6:50AM EST
Facebook Messenger Unsend
Image: Facebook

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A few weeks ago we learned that Facebook would soon launch an option to remove messages from a conversation that were sent by mistake. A Messenger update revealed the user would have ten minutes to unsend a message, which will remove it from the conversation for both parties. The feature may already be in testing for some users, a new report reveals

Reddit user saras112 posted the following screenshot from an Android phone, which shows the option of deleting messages on Facebook Messenger for the sender or for everyone.

Image source: Reddit

As it is right now, a user can remove messages from conversations, but deleting a message wouldn’t also remove it from the recipient’s app. You can delete any message sent to anyone, no matter when it happened, but that person will still see it in the chronology of the conversation.

What you can’t do right now is remove a message for everyone, whether we’re talking about chats between two people or groups. 
Nowhere in the screenshot above is the word “unsend” used. There’s no time limit indication in the prompt above either. Again, the unsend feature will only work on the messages sent during a 10-minute window, per Facebook’s previous update. However, the user interface in the screenshot matches the unsend UI for iPhone, which was shown in a previous report:

Image source: TechCrunch

Facebook already rolled out a similar feature for WhatsApp, although users have up to one hour to unsend a message on the other popular Facebook messaging platform. It’s unclear why there’s such a big time difference between the two platforms, and Facebook will probably never explain it.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.