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Facebook says an unsend functionality is ‘coming soon’ to Messenger

As earlier reports suggested, Facebook is in the process of developing a new unsend feature for Messenger. Hidden in the changelog for a recent update to Facebook for iOS is mention that the functionality is “coming soon.” This means you’ll soon be able to unsend Facebook messages within a preset grace period.

According to Facebook, the unsend functionality will give you 10 minutes to delete a message after it has been sent. The message will be deleted from your Messenger thread, as well as the recipient’s. The change was first spotted by Matt Navarra on Twitter.

Notably, the WhatsApp unsend feature allows users to delete a message up to one hour after it has been sent. Snapchat added a similar feature earlier this year as well, taking its ephemeral nature to a whole new level.

Here’s how Facebook describes the unsend functionality coming to Messenger:

Coming soon: Remove a message from a chat thread after it’s been sent. If you accidentally send the wrong photo, incorrect information, or message the wrong thread, you can easily correct it by removing the message within 10 minutes of sending it.

An unsend functionality has been a hot button issue for Facebook since April, when it was revealed that the company had been deleting messages sent by Mark Zuckerberg, despite not offering such a functionality to the general user.

What do you think of this feature? Have you ever found yourself wishing you could unsend Facebook messages? Let us know down in the comments.


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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

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