Snapchat is set to receive a new feature that will allow users to remove a message for everyone in a conversation on any platform. Snap Inc. is said to release the new capability to its ephemeral messaging app worldwide over the next few weeks, recent reports indicate. Currently, Snapchat users are only able to delete a message or media content from their own side of the chat, leaving the recipient able to read the message until it self-deletes. With the upcoming feature, users will be able to manually delete the content even prior to its scheduled expiry. Everyone in the group conversation will then receive a notification telling them that a member has deleted something.
The “delete chat” feature will apply to a message, sticker, or voice note. Users can remove any content just by long-pressing the message in question and clicking the delete option. While recipients of a deleted message will no longer be able to read the content in the conversation, they can still view it if they have captured a screenshot of the message before it was deleted, as this ability does not go away with the new update. The same feature was previously introduced to WhatsApp beginning in October last year. Rival messaging app Viber has had this option for quite a while now, so it’s not an entirely new feature, though it is still a welcome addition to Snapchat. The option to delete a message for everyone in a conversation is useful for a number of scenarios where the user regrets sending it in the first place, sending it to the wrong person, sending a message by mistake, or misrepresenting something in the message.
Snapchat also recently received a range of new features including the ability to share Stories on the platform with contacts outside of the app, which was added earlier this year. The feature was part of Snap Inc.’s efforts to redesign the platform in a move to provide its users with a better experience and draw more users to the service amid growing competition with Facebook and Instagram. In February, the company also confirmed the addition of a “Do Not Disturb” mode and new fonts.