YOUR iPhone has a clever trick that might make you want to quit WhatsApp.
Apple has kitted out its iMessage app with a seriously tempting upgrade.
AppleYou can now edit texts on iPhone – even if they’ve already been received and read[/caption]
For the past few months, it’s been possible to edit texts you’ve already sent on iPhone.
The feature simply isn’t available on WhatsApp.
But if you’re willing to switch over to iMessage, you’ll be able to edit messages even after the recipient has read them.
WhatsApp is working on its own version of this feature, but it still hasn’t released it to the general public.
So if you want to try editing texts right away, you’ll need to head over to the default Apple Messages app.
It’s also now possible to unsend texts on iMessage – a feature borrowed from WhatsApp.
The iOS 16 software update for iPhone is now freely available.
Check if you’ve got the new iOS by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
How to edit an iPhone text
Not all iMessages can be tweaked or deleted: there’s a time limit.
You only have 15 minutes to make any changes to a text before the option runs out.
Simply hold down on the message to edit it.
Recipients will be alerted when a text has been edited.
However it won’t be possible to see exactly what changes have been made – unless you had previously seen the message and remembered what it said.
Also important is that both the sender and recipient will need to be on iOS 16 for the feature to work.
So even if you have iOS 16, you won’t be able to unsend or edit a text for a person who hasn’t yet upgraded.
You’ll receive a warning that some people won’t see your edits if this is the case.
For the feature to work, everyone needs to be running iOS 16.
Sadly, if you’re using WhatsApp then there’s no way to edit a text.
That said, WhatsApp regularly adds new features and is already testing a similar hack.
So you might not have to wait too long before you can edit WhatsApp texts too.
How to unsend an iPhone text
You can unsend an iMessage on iOS 16 within the first 15 minutes by holding down on the text.
But don’t think you can do it silently.
Just like on WhatsApp, if a text has been “unsent” then a note will appear for both the sender and recipient.
This will stop any confusion once a text has vanished.
On WhatsApp, it’s a very similar process.
Simply hold down on the message and choose Delete For Everyone.
This option disappears after too much time has passed, so be quick.