Facebook Messenger users can now 'unsend' messages: Here's how
What's the story
Finally, Facebook is rolling out 'unsend' capabilities for its Messenger platform. The feature had been in works for months and allows the users to retract messages sent on the platform, but with certain restrictions. It is currently being rolled out for iOS and Android in Poland, Bolivia, Colombia, and Lithuania, but is expected to reach more users in the coming days. Here's more.
Feature details
'Unsend': How it works?
After getting the new feature, you can open any Messenger thread and tap on a sent message to delete it not just from yours but also from the recipient's end, TechCrunch reported. The feature retracts all kinds of messages - photos, videos, links - but you cannot remove ancient messages sent years ago. Only messages sent within last 10 minutes can be retracted.
Reporting option
Importantly, users will have the power to report
In order to prevent abuse of the new feature and combat bullying, Facebook is also offering reporting options even after a message has been retracted. The company will retain a private copy of the 'unsent' message for a short while so that it can review it and take appropriate action if the recipient reports about harassment or any other related issue.
Quote
What Facebook's head of Messenger said about the feature
"If you make a mistake you can correct it," Stan Chudnovsky told TechCrunch. "There are a lot of legitimate use cases out there that we wanted to enable, [but] we need to make sure we don't open up any new venues for bullying."
Use
How to use the 'unsend' option?
In order to use this feature, you'll have to tap and hold a sent message (within 10 minutes) to open an overflow menu. There, you'll find an option called 'Remove'. Tap on it to get 'Remove for you' and 'Remove for everyone' options. Selecting the former would delete the message only from your end, while the latter would remove it permanently from both ends.
More improvements
Also, Facebook could bring more improvements
Facebook plans to roll this feature out as soon as possible but is also working on some additional capabilities to improve it. This, as TechCrunch reported, includes options for setting individuals messages and chat threads to expire automatically. This means, after a certain time, the selected message or threads would automatically get removed from the app.