Loophole in Delete for Everyone feature on WhatsApp exposed | Check

Shubhanshu Sharma
Published on: 16 Nov 2017 10:04 AM GMT
Loophole in Delete for Everyone feature on WhatsApp exposed | Check
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New Delhi: A loophole has been traced in the newly rolled out feature of WhatsApp, Delete for Everyone. Yes, the recipient can still access the sent message even if the sender has recalled it.

As per a Spanish Android blog Androidjefe, the deleted message remains in the notification centre of the recipient's smartphone.

There are a few applications on the Play Store which allow the smartphone users to access the notification centre and retrieve the messages even after being deleted by the sender.

One of such apps is 'Notification History', which is available in Play Store. After installing it, you can open the notification registry of the Android system. You will then have to search for the notification 'WhatsApp'.

According to the blog, the message will be in the line that says 'android.text', as you can see in the illustrative images at the beginning.

Also Read: Facebook Messenger rolls out ‘Discover’ tab in India

In case of using a third-party launcher like Nova Launcher, the process for reading out the deleted messages becomes easier as all you need to do is long press on an empty space on your home screen. Then tab on 'Widgets', and then long press on 'Activities' and drop when you jump to the home screen.

A list will appear – click 'Settings'. Lastly, tap on the 'Notification Log' in the sub-list to create the shortcut on the home screen. Now, you can access the Android notification history and search for the WhatsApp deleted messages respectively.

There, however, are some limitations to the retrieved messages. Check in the list below:

  • The blog says that you will only see first 100 characters of the deleted message (approximately).
  • The other issue is that the notification log only saves notifications for a few hours only.
  • Only the text messages can be recovered, and not the photos or videos.
  • The messages will be deleted forever once you restart the smartphone.

The 'Delete for Everyone' feature still remains very useful as it prevents the users from facing embarrassment on sending any message to the wrong person or becoming the victim of the autocorrect facility of the new generation smartphones.

Shubhanshu Sharma

Shubhanshu Sharma

Writer has 6 years of experience in digital media. Presently working as Senior Sub Editor at newstrack.com. An avid reader and always willing to learn new things and techniques.

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