Can You Delete a WhatsApp Message if It Hasn’t Been Read?

With the rapid growth of digital communication, WhatsApp has become the most popular messaging platform in the world. It not only allows users to send messages quickly, but also allows them to delete messages that they have sent. This feature can be used to delete messages that have not been read yet as well.

The ability to delete a message that has not been read is a great feature for those who have sent a message by mistake or no longer want a recipient to see it. It is possible because of the ‘delete for everyone’ feature which was introduced in 2017 and allows users to delete messages from both their own and the recipient’s device. This means that if you delete a message before it has been read, it will no longer be visible on either device.

To delete an unread message using this feature, open the chat containing the sent message and long press on it until you see an options menu. Select ‘delete’ from this menu and then select ‘delete for everyone’. This will ensure that the message is deleted from both your device and the recipient’s device.

However, there are certain limitations with this feature. Firstly, you can only delete messages within seven minutes of sending them – after this time-frame, you will no longer be able to delete it for everyone. Additionally, if the recipient has already seen or read your message, deleting it will not remove it from their phone – only from yours. Finally, deleting a forwarded message does not remove it from all devices in which it was forwarded.

In conclusion, it is possible to delete WhatsApp messages that have not been read yet using the ‘delete for everyone’ feature. However, there are certain limitations associated with this feature which should be taken into account when using it.