Call it the “Zuckerberg Delete Function,” if you want. Or call it “Erase.” Or maybe, the “Thanks For Letting Me Finally Get Rid Of That” option.
Whatever you want to call it, Facebook is calling it “Remove for Everyone,” and it’s a new feature that the social media giant began rolling out recently. The feature will let you delete a message that you have sent from the company’s Messenger app —and this time, the message really will be erased from the Messenger app of the person you have sent it to.
Messenger has had a delete function for some time now, but it has been “delete” in name only. The function only removed the message from the app of the person who has sent the (probably embarrassing and mistaken) missive. The message still would be on the screen of the receiver.
Now, when users hold a finger down on a message, they will have the choice of either deleting it just for themselves, or for the person or persons receiving the message. If users want to delete the message, they’ll have to act quick, as function gives users 10 minutes to do so from the time the note was sent. Also, anyone who was sent the message will get a notification saying a message sent to them has been deleted.
Facebook said the new feature is available for those using Messenger on devices with the latest updates of Apple’s iOS and Google Android operating systems.
While the ability to fully delete a message is just becoming available to the Facebook masses, some folks at the company have had access to the feature for years now. Including someone who just happens to be the company’s chief executive.