Surprising predictions part 4

 WhatsApp is Now Testing an Edit Message Feature- Get Excited!

It’s not every day that WhatsApp surprises us with something new, but on Tuesday, we got to see just that. The Facebook-owned messaging platform has started testing out a brand new feature which will allow users to edit their messages before they are sent. This means that if you send your friend the wrong message, you can now go back and edit it before it goes through.

What you can do with the new feature

Are you ever anxious that after pressing send, you're going to second guess yourself? Well, now WhatsApp has our backs and it's giving us the opportunity to edit messages before they go out. This could be used for everything from correcting typos to adding a last minute detail. All we can say is bring it on. With the excitement of this new feature finally hitting us, we'll be able to stop worrying about the unknown and enjoy conversations without interruption or regret. We've been waiting for this one for a long time...hang on in there folks and it will soon be here! 

It’s easy enough to make minor adjustments when needed but with how fast conversation move in texts, sometimes your small changes are not so apparent. You might type you instead of your or forget a word or two (shocking!). Regardless if you want to change your words, add to them or remove text all together, WhatsApp gives you full control over what others see. It's fantastic that most major messaging platforms are working on various changes like these that improve our experiences as well as their growth as companies. Imagine being able to send an invite and having the option to adjust it until it's perfect; plus, then you won't have worry about someone getting mad at you because they didn't get invited. The ability to correct mistakes before sending messages also ensures that everything is spelled correctly which just makes things better all around. In order to access this feature, users will need to be in a chat session where they have already sent one message- talk about preparedness! Just tap the pencil icon next to the message and you'll be given options: delete, copy, paste, select text and share. There's no set date for when this may be released yet but it should happen fairly soon since testing is underway. What do you think? Does this sound awesome or what? If you agree, then please sign up to beta test! Users who sign up will receive an email when this feature becomes available for public use. Let's hope that everyone is patient during the wait and appreciates those who choose to volunteer. Have any thoughts about this new update? Comment below and let me know what you think! Do you like the idea of being able to correct mistakes before sending messages? Which features would you want included if possible? Should this feature only be accessible through chats or would letting people edit messages that were never sent too be an added bonus? How often do you think people would actually utilize this functionality, especially if it were to only be accessible through chats? Do these concerns seem valid or worth noting? Would you be interested in this feature? Would you feel more comfortable or less? What's the best way to implement this new feature? Share and discuss your opinions in the comments!

How it works

WhatsApp is now testing a feature that will allow you to edit messages in chats. The new option could be introduced to Android users as soon as next week, according to WABetaInfo. Users will be able to select and then delete individual messages they've already sent. According to screenshots shared by WABetaInfo on Twitter, the feature has been implemented with a slider button at the top of the chat screen with the word 'Edit'. 

For those worried about privacy issues, WhatsApp's new 'Delete for everyone' feature only sends the message for deletion AFTER it has been read on both ends of the conversation - meaning recipients are aware that deleting their copy also deletes your copy. If all goes well, this update could be available worldwide within days. But before we get too excited, keep in mind that WhatsApp hasn't confirmed the news yet. Even if it does happen, it may not be global from day one - so don't worry if you can't see any changes just yet.

In order to test this out I'll need a beta key (anyone have one?), but we'll definitely let you know when and if we're able to test this out ourselves or if there are any updates worth sharing. And while we wait, what do you think? Will this make things easier? How often do you send incorrect messages? Share below! 

Update 12/05/18: WhatsApp's new edit message feature has now been spotted in action by some of our readers and WABetaInfo, who also points out that users will not be allowed to remove old messages. If they try to delete too many older chats, they’ll get stuck at a ... sign instead with no option available other than typing another message. This isn't really a surprising move considering that it took WhatsApp several months after first announcing their plans last December before they finally launched it worldwide in February - so perhaps patience is needed here too until everything becomes clear in due time! Remember to share your thoughts on this change in the comments below!

Update 15/07/2018: At least some US based users have been notified that the Send Messages shortcut is being replaced with a new Drafts menu item that lists messages which haven't been sent yet. Similar to Facebook Messenger, these drafts will automatically disappear after 24 hours unless someone sends them, edits them or adds more text. It sounds like they were originally testing two different features - re-sending existing messages and draft messaging where content was saved indefinitely - but decided to simplify it down into just drafts for simplicity's sake. We will be sure to let you know if and when this feature is officially released.

The app is still in beta, and WhatsApp hasn't confirmed the news yet, so it might be a little bit before this happens. Keep in mind that even if it does come out, it might take a little bit to reach every country - though once it is live, it should be rolling out everywhere around the same time. What are your thoughts on this new feature? Let us know below!

Pros of this update

Social media and texting have blurred the lines between work, personal life, and out of office hours. With more and different messages coming in throughout the day, WhatsApp may be trying to make the user experience less confusing. Rather than sending a message and realizing after you've sent it that it should be deleted or edited, WhatsApp users can simply hit backspace to go back to the text message's draft before sending it. Doing so will place the text on a new screen where users can edit it before sending. While this feature is only available for testing in some regions, hopefully WhatsApp implements it as soon if not sooner. The feature is currently unavailable for iOS devices but there are plans for it to come soon. Hopefully other social media companies like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat follow suit with this messaging style. In today's world when we're constantly online and communicating through various platforms, its imperative that all forms of communication stay streamlined and well organized. No one wants to send out embarrassing typos or accidental messages. A lot of people use their phones as their main form of communication and end up juggling many conversations at once, which is why this update could be helpful for them. It'll also help people keep track of what they've said and done on the app easier which I think is important. If done correctly, I think this could improve everyone's experience with messaging apps by making conversations smoother and clearer from start to finish. That way nobody has to worry about whether or not their message was read and understood because everything will just be crystal clear. Honestly, this feature seems like it would take very little time to learn and implement and would do wonders for our sanity. Though WhatsApp did not comment on the release date for this update, it is speculated that it'll launch soon. We don't know when exactly yet but let's hope they announce something soon so we can get excited too. It’s almost like the momentary pause of before hitting send while using iMessage. When editing your sentence you are given the option to save it as a draft and then continue writing, post it as is or discard everything completely. 

While this feature is only available for testing in some regions, hopefully WhatsApp implements it as soon if not sooner. 

The feature is currently unavailable for iOS devices but there are plans for it to come soon. 

Hopefully other social media companies like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat follow suit with this messaging style.

Cons of this update

It'll be cool to finally delete messages that you don't want anyone to see, but this new feature also has some downsides. For example, you won't be able to retract a sent message if it's been received. If someone deletes the message right away, then it might not get through at all. You may also have trouble remembering what a sent message says if there are several drafts and unfinished messages in your chat. In addition, deleting a message from one device will make it unavailable on any other devices where it had been read or deleted before. The update still isn't available for everyone yet so I can't say for sure how these features work in action, but I'm sure more info will surface soon! WhatsApp already does provide end-to-end encryption and delete messages for everyone button which allows you to quickly erase a conversation. However, it doesn't let users revise anything they've already typed. I think this edit message feature could potentially create a lot of benefits for group chats as well as long conversations because you're able to take back what was said or change typos without alerting the sender. Overall, this is just another way WhatsApp continues to grow with our needs! It seems like every day, we learn about another interesting thing we didn't know about before, whether it be good or bad news. They're constantly adding new security updates which gives me great peace of mind knowing my information is protected. WhatsApp is a free application that's widely used around the world, even though it isn't as popular as Facebook messenger or Instagram. At first glance, it looks like there are many cons to this new update but I'm sure they wouldn't launch something so big and complicated if they weren't confident people would enjoy it too. Besides, maybe it'll only be available for specific types of chats? Or, maybe once you send the message it will disappear automatically? We'll just have to wait and see.