WhatsApp to allow users to edit messages - but only for a short window

WhatsApp users will be able to edit their messages for 15 minutes after they have been sent - but the receiver will be alerted to the fact they have been changed.

WhatsApp will allow users to edit their messages - but only for 15 minutes after they have been sent.

The Meta-owned messaging service has started rolling out the new function and it will be available to all users in the coming weeks.

Messages will carry a label showing they have been edited - but they won't show how they have been changed.

To edit one, a user will need to press and hold a message and choose "edit" from the drop-down menu.

The edit option will be available for 15 minutes after the message has been sent.

The new function is for "the moments when you make a mistake, or simply change your mind", the company wrote in a blog post.

"From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we're excited to bring you more control over your chats."

Facebook has allowed users to edit posts and comments - but not messages - for almost a decade.

WhatsApp's latest update comes after Meta announced it would allow users to lock and hide conversations.

Chat Lock will remove a chat thread from the app's regular onscreen inbox and place it into a new folder that can only be opened by a password or biometric, such as facial recognition or a fingerprint.

Meta called it "one more layer of security" but the feature could put it at odds with the UK government's online safety bill.