When can deleted WhatsApp messages still be seen?

WhatsApp gets new updates and features on a regular basis and at times it’s hard keeping track or even using all the features the app receives.

However, one of the most talked about feature came by a few months ago, where the app now lets you avoid those embarrassing moments of sending your boss a message not intended for them by deleting it from their phone without physically touching their phone.

Related:
Must-know Whatsapp tips

Despite how good this feature might sound, like any other good thing, it has its negative side as well. Or maybe call it a loophole for that matter. While the feature is intended to hide those embarrassing messages from your contacts, there’s a loophole that allows them to see the message even after you’ve deleted it from their end.

A while back, WhatsApp — another popular social app under Facebook’s wings like Instagram — introduced a feature where users in a group can reply directly to a specific message, which will, in turn, notify the sender of the original message that there’s a reply for them. This was a cool addition to WhatsApp groups, but it can also be helpful when there’s a long private chat thread and you need to direct certain responses to specific messages in the thread.

So, when is deleting a WhatsApp message a useless exercise?

If it happens that someone had already quoted and replied to your message, deleting it from the group chat thread won’t completely remove it, rather, it can still be seen in the quoted replies. The story is the same when it comes to private chats, where the message will still live in the recipient’s quote.

Of course, another ‘loophole’ is the presence of screenshots. Deleting a message after someone has already captured a screenshot won’t save you the embarrassment. If it makes you feel a little better, this loophole is not specific to WhatsApp. However, given that Snapchat has found a way around this screenshot loophole, it remains to be seen if the Facebook-owned app will at some point head the same direction by protecting people’s messages from being captured in screenshots.

According to WhatsApp, deleting a message after 7 minutes from the time of sending it won’t have any impact. Apparently, it seems they forgot to mention that deleting an already quoted message will also have no impact (pun intended), but at least we’ve now pointed it out, so be careful with what you say or share on WhatsApp.