WhatsApp tests new feature to prevent misuse of 'Delete for everyone' option

WhatsApp is testing a new feature — Block revoke request —to prevent the misuse of its recently launched 'Delete for everyone' option allowing a user to delete sent messages.

The new feature will enable users to retrieve a deleted message through revoke option. WhatsApp will sent a new message containing the same ID as that of the deleted message which the user may want to revoke, according to WABetaInfo, a fan site that tests new WhatsApp features.

Also read — WhatsApp 'delete for everyone': Here's how to read deleted text messages 

Earlier, when a recipient received this particular message containing the revoke request, WhatsApp checked if the ID of the message was present in the database and if the original message was found, it directly deleted it without checking any other important information.

Now, the application would check the current date and the date of the saved message. The message will be deleted if it is less than the new 'Delete for everyone' limit.

Also read — This is how founders of WhatsApp got the idea to start the messaging service

"A new WhatsApp for iOS update (2.18.31) is available on Apple AppStore. It is a bug fixes update but it has the new 'Delete for everyone' limit, that is one hour, eight minutes and 16 seconds," read the information on the website on Tuesday.

Also read — Bypassing Delete For Everyone: Here are the known ways to see deleted WhatsApp group messages

The algorithm would allow users to revoke deleted messages successfully, if the message was deleted in the past 24 hours. The reference time of 24 hours was decided after taking into account that the recipient's phone may be turned off at that moment.

The deleted messages, however, may not be recovered after 24 hours as the revoke request will be considered invalid.