WhatsApp has updated its ‘Delete for Everyone’ feature, with respect to the time limit in which users can revoke messages.

The update gives users a window of up to 13 hours, 8 minutes and 16 seconds in which they must accept the delete request. This step appears to be in response to random delete requests for older messages.

According to experts, the ‘Recipient Limit’ change is to ensure that all members of a conversation receive the revoke request for a message within the stipulated time period, so that messages could be deleted. The revoke request should be accepted by all members of a conversation, within the 13 hours, 8 minutes and 16 seconds limit, before the ‘Delete for Everyone’ feature sets into effect.

Under the previous rules, the delete request needed to be accepted within 1 hour, 8 minutes and 16 seconds from all parties. The ‘Delete for Everyone’ feature was introduced in late last year, with a revoke message limit of 7 minutes.