WhatsApp is now a common medium to contact anyone. As a result, many people engage in plenty of chats with their friends. All of us know that whatever messages or media we store on our phones directly impacts their storage. In spite of this, many people delete messages they don’t want. But in the last few years, WhatsApp has undergone a wide range of updates, and that has caused confusion for users.
Meanwhile, deleting WhatsApp messages isn’t a hard and fast rule. However, users want to know a few things. What would be the procedure to delete old messages for up to seven days? What is the best way to delete messages on Android and iOS? The huge number of questions we received prompted us to build this guide in which we provide you with all the necessary instructions needed to delete WhatsApp messages.
How do I delete WhatsApp messages for everyone?
Since WhatsApp entered the Global Market, it has primarily captured Android devices. Later, they moved to iOS and left their footprints. Regardless of your device, WhatsApp is now available on the web, desktop, Android, or iOS. I agree it is a positive thing that WhatsApp has huge accessibility, but it also becomes a hurdle when we want to delete messages. Among them, deleting WhatsApp messages for everyone is the most important. So, let’s start with this query.
Note: Before doing the next step, make sure you have the latest version of WhatsApp.
- Open the Whatsapp app on your phone.
- Navigate to the chat where you wish to delete the message.
- Look for a message and tap and hold for a second on that message.
- Following this, a deleted window will open, offering two options “delete for me” and “delete for everyone.”
- Tap on delete for everyone, and soon that message will be deleted for everyone.
Delete old WhatsApp messages on Android.
Suppose you want to delete your old WhatsApp messages on Android. You do not want those messages deleted. Here, you need to use the option “delete for me.” The phone will delete the messages from your side if you choose this option. So, without further ado, let’s get started with the instructions.
- Launch the WhatsApp application on your phone.
- You can delete messages from a specific chat by selecting it.
- Under that chat, tap and hold a particular chat.
- Following this, A delete window will open showing two delete options, including delete for me and delete for everyone.
- Tap on delete for me here, and you are done.
Delete Old WhatsApp Messages on iOS.
On iOS, you can delete WhatsApp messages in a similar way to how you can on Android. But due to UI variation, people can’t understand where to do the same thing on iOS. But not to worry, below are instructions to delete Whatsapp messages on iOS.
- Launch the WhatsApp app on your iOS device.
- Select the chat of the person whose message you want to delete.
- Under that chat, select the message and tap and hold for a second.
- Next, select the delete option from the given menu.
- Tap on the bin option to delete the message for me.
In addition, you want to delete messages from all platforms, such as Android, iOS, and desktop. Then, there is a straight way to get it done. Although it may be easy for some, there is still a majority left. Here are some steps to clear all messages from all platforms at the same time.
- Open the WhatsApp application on your device.
- Tap on the three-dot menu >> settings.
- Under settings, tap on the chat section.
- Tap on chat history >> clear all chats
- Mark the star messages and media options.
- Lastly, tap on Clear messages, and you are done.
Additionally, you can delete WhatsApp messages for up to seven days. It is possible to do. All you need to do is enable the disappearing messages option. This feature allows you to delete all your messages after a particular time period. Want to know how to use it? Then follow the steps below.
- Open the WhatsApp application on your phone.
- Head to the settings option.
- Tap on Privacy >> Disappearing messages.
- From there, tap on the set default timer.
- Select the seven days option from the list.
- That’s it; from now whatever you chat will delete after seven days.
Whenever you accidentally delete a message, you can retrieve it on your Android phone. All you need to do is get it from the WhatsApp message database directory. I know it sounds a bit technical to you. So, follow the below steps to view deleted WhatsApp messages.
- Open the file manager and scroll down to WhatsApp.
- Then, long press the msgstore.db.crypt12 file and rename it to msgstore backup.db.crypt12.
- Now select the most recent backup file and change its name to msgstore.db.crypt12.
- From your Google Drive, delete all the WhatsApp backup files from your phone.
- Next, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp.
- Then, you will be prompted to restore the backup files.
- Select msgstore.db.crypt12 and tap restore.
- That’s it, and your deleted message will appear on your screen.
Conclusively, deleting a WhatsApp message has a wide scope. Since it has many features, people have many options for doing the same thing. I hope that I’ve answered all your questions regarding WhatsApp message deletion. Even after explaining all the details, if you still have any doubts, feel free to reach out below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ans. Yes. Your recipient will see a “This message was deleted” on that message place.
Ans. WhatsApp users have two days and 12 hours to delete messages after the time limit.
Ans. Just force-stop WhatsApp from settings and reset your date and time. Following this, you will be able to manipulate WhatsApp and delete messages for everyone even after an hour.
Ans. You can do that similar to we done for viewing a deleted message.
