Technology
You can now unsend your Facebook messages if you’re quick enough
Mark Zuckerberg is no longer the only one with the power to recall Facebook messages.
Facebook Messenger is finally rolling out the unsend button it promised nearly a year ago. The feature is in the latest version of the Messenger app on iOS and Android, Facebook said Tuesday.
In order to exercise your newfound message deletion powers, all you have to do is tap on a message in a conversation and select “remove.” The app will then ask if you want to remove the message for everyone or just for you (the latter keeps the message visible to other participants, while hiding it from your view).
There is, however, one important catch: you only have a 10-minute window to delete your messages. Once ten minutes have elapsed, you’re stuck with your embarrassing typo-ridden messages forever.
Facebook began working on the unsend feature last April, after it was reported that a number of Zuckerberg’s old Facebook messages had mysteriously disappeared from the recipients’ inboxes years after the fact. The company told TechCrunch the messages were removed as the result of a previously undisclosed message retention policy it implemented in 2014 after the Sony hacks.
The company apologized for only making the feature available to its executives, and said it would bring the feature to all Messenger users before it deleted any more of its executives’ messages.
Facebook has now fulfilled that promise, even though it’s not retroactive like it was for Zuckerberg. So, if you were hoping to clear out your cringeworthy chat history from years back, you’re going to be out of luck. But ten minutes should at least be enough to save you from future embarrassment, if you’re able to mash that delete button fast enough.
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