Edited iMessages in iOS 16 Now Display Original Text, Undo Send Limited to Two Minutes

[MacRumors]

With the fourth betas of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 that were released today, Apple tweaked the edit and unsend features that are available for iMessages. When you edit a message, the edit history is now sent to the recipient along with the edit, so the original content is visible.

On an edited iMessage, you can tap on the small blue "Edited" label to see the edit history, and it can be hidden again by tapping on "Hide Edits." Prior to this beta, an edited message noted that it was edited, but there was no option to tap and see the previous messages that were sent.

In addition to adding an edit history, iMessages can now only be edited a total of five times before the "Edit" option disappears, but there's still a 15 minute window for making an edit.

As noted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the Edit history can be avoided by unsending an iMessage and resending it, but Apple has also implemented an Undo Send limitation. You're now only able to unsend an iMessage for up to two minutes after it's delivered, down from the original 15 minute timing.

It is worth noting that Undo Send and Edit are limited to iOS 16 devices, and the original messages are displayed on devices running iOS 15 or earlier.

Article Link: Edited iMessages in iOS 16 Now Display Original Text, Undo Send Limited to Two Minutes

 

[alexandr]

My god, this will take drunk texting to a whole new level!

 

[FelixDerKater]

That would seem to defeat its purpose…

 

[macsplusmacs]

Edit history:

Will you marry me?
Edit.
I like being single.
Edit.
Will you Marry Me?
Edit.
You want to just watch Netflix?
Send.

 

[SwiftArtery]

I think this is good overall. No more editing a message to have a completely different meaning, especially if it had already been replied to.

 

[Bull 07]

So why edit it?

 

[dannyyankou]

I understand it being visible to the sender, but not the recipient.

But I think this change might be due to legal reasons. I could see people abusing it.

 

[nwcs]

I think these are responsible changes to the feature set. I’m glad they added it.

 

[erikkfi]

Thank goodness. I’d hate to be able to unsend a message between 2-15 minutes after I sent it, if I discovered it was in error.

 

[macsplusmacs]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1552356986754371585

 

[McKodiak]

Why should someone be able to see the edits? I changed it so you wouldn't see what I typed.

 

[alexandr]

So why edit it?

Because with iOS 16 WE CAN! Duhh!

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

What's the point of having an "Edit" option if it's going to show the original text?

Apple should give users permission to add that feature into the messages app. Otherwise, it should not show the user has made any changes by default.

 

[Fuchal]

Why should someone be able to see the edits? I changed it so you wouldn't see what I typed.

So people who are abused have a record of the abuse.

 

[macsplusmacs]

What's the point of having an "Edit" option if it's going to show the original text?

Unless for legal reasons, I could see them pulling this in the next beta.

 

[a.phoenicis]

What's the point of having an "Edit" option if it's going to show the original text?

Apple should give users permission to add that feature into the messages app. Otherwise, it should not show the user has made any changes.

To be able to fix typos and other general errors, not wholly altering the meaning/content of the original in bad faith

 

[JCCL]

Then the feature is pointless, gosh

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

To be able to fix typos and other general errors, not wholly altering the meaning/content of the original in bad faith

Do people really care about typos or other general errors?

 

[nwcs]

Why should someone be able to see the edits? I changed it so you wouldn't see what I typed.

It’s quite simple, I present one scenario: Say someone sent threatening or harassing messages (perhaps to a spouse or former partner) and then edited them to say “I like snuggle fabric softener”. It would be a convenient way to skirt restraining orders or intimidate/harass/threaten without the recipient being able to prove it.

While some will use this feature for banal and reasonable reasons there will be a subset who will look for ways to exploit it for personal gain or to harm another.

 

[nwcs]

Do people really care about typos or other general errors?

If they did then email would never have been a thing let alone SMS.

 

[mansplains]

Why should someone be able to see the edits? I changed it so you wouldn't see what I typed.

Because in a world full of problems words have become "violence"

 

[Bull 07]

What's the point of having an "Edit" option if it's going to show the original text?

Apple should give users permission to add that feature into the messages app. Otherwise, it should not show the user has made any changes by default.

Great your comment.

 

[thadoggfather]

As a matter of principle I won't edit anything but things that are horrible misspelt to the point of not understandable or auto corrected to another word completely unrelated

Otherwise won't be bother.d

Good on showing edits and narrowing time to undo. Both are preventing social issues from bubbling up. Even then I think maybe 60 seconds should be un-do. 30 seconds even,

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Not going to lie but this is going to be confusing.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1552351293016088580

 

[DD88]

Isn’t this the same as Facebook comments ? You can see all the edit history on those as someone said my grammar yesterday was gash and my Mum was an old bag but he edited the comment about 16 times due to all his typos