You can now delete messages sent through Facebook messenger
By Megan Cerullo
/ MoneyWatch
Facebook has added a new feature to its messaging platform that allows users to unsend messages. But you better act fast — the grace period lasts only 10 minutes.
The move comes after TechCrunch reported that founder Mark Zuckerberg had retracted Facebook messages from recipients — revealing that the feature existed, but was not available to all users.
Facebook at the time told TechCrunch, "We have discussed this feature several times…We will now be making a broader delete messages feature available. This may take some time. And until this feature is ready, we will no longer be deleting any executives' messages. We should have done this sooner — and we're sorry that we did not."
Now the platform's more than 1 billion users can retract hastily sent messages, including typos or embarrassing content.
Users can delete the message just on their end or "for everyone." Recipients will be notified that the message was pulled from their inbox, and Facebook will retain the content for a period of time, in case it is reported, according to a statement from the company.
First published on February 5, 2019
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