If you've ever sent a WhatsApp message you regretted, the latest change to the popular messenger will be the answer to your prayers.

According to a report from the Mirror , WhatsApp is planning to extend the length of time you have to delete messages.

The app introduced the "Delete for Everyone" feature in October 2017, but you can only do that for seven minutes after you've sent it.

But Android users with the beta version of WhatsApp 2.18.69 have 4,096 seconds (or 68 minutes and 16 seconds) to delete messages - nearly 10 times more than the 420 seconds they previously had.

The wabetainfo.com blog says the feature is currently only available to Android users.

But it suggests that the world's most popular messaging app - which is owned by Facebook - could roll out this change more widely in the future.

As well as the Delete for Everyone change, the site also notes there will be an upcoming feature called WhatsApp Stickers - another idea borrowed from Snapchat.

It's expected that in order to be able to delete a message for longer, you will have to have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your phone when the update arrives. Likewise, the recipients will also have to have the latest version installed.

This latest update follows on from reports that the app will soon start allowing in-app transfers to be sent between contacts.

The announcement comes after WhatsApp performed a limited testing period with around one million users.

The company is starting out with India - where it has about two million users.

Anyone who wants to take advantage will have to link their WhatsApp account with their bank account. Other messaging platforms, such as WeChat in China, already allow mobile payments and have proved popular.

Meanwhile, if you're yet to discover how to delete a WhatsApp messages, here are the steps you need to follow.

How to delete a WhatsApp message

  1. Open WhatsApp and go to the chat containing the message you wish to delete.
  2. Tap and hold the message. Optionally, tap more messages to delete multiple messages at once.
  3. Tap Delete at the top of the screen > Delete for everyone .

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