Can you unsend a Facebook message?

While there are many messaging apps around in this day and age, you will be hard pressed to find any with the same level of popularity as Facebook Messenger.

The Facebook add-on is free to use and just requires users to have an internet connection and a basic knowledge of instant messaging. You are able to use it for one on chats, group messaging and video/voice calls – it has it all.

However, as with all messaging apps it’s very easy to send messages to the wrong person, especially when you’re trying to have a million conversations at once. Apps like Instagram allow users to ‘unsend’ messages when this occurs, but does Facebook?

In this article, we are going to be answering this question while also looking at what to do if you do end up sending a message to the wrong person or chat.

Unsend Facebook messages – How to

On Facebook Messenger, the ability to ‘unsend’ a message is there – however, you have to be quick if you wish to do it before the person or people you are sending the message to see it.

Having said that, the window to ‘unsend’ a message is indefinite, meaning that you are able to remove messages even once a person has seen it (though there’s not much point in doing so if the recipient(s) have already seen the contents of the message).

In order to unsend a message on the Facebook Messenger app, please follow these steps:

  1. Log on to Facebook Messenger.
  2. Hold down on the message that you wish to delete and select ‘more’.
  3. Select ‘unsend’ and then pick whether you want to unsend it for everyone or just unsend it for you. Unsending for just you means that the message will remain on the other persons message thread while unsending for everyone means that the message will be removed for all parties.

In order to unsend a message on Facebook Messenger via a web browser, please follow these steps:

  1. Log on to Facebook and bring up the messenger section of the website.
  2. Locate the message that you wish to unsend and tap the three dots to the left of it.
  3. From the list of options, select ‘remove’ and then decide whether you want to unsend it just for you or for all recipients.

After you’ve done this, the other person may still get a message request in their Messenger app if they’re not already friends with you, even after you’ve unsent a message.

What happens after you unsend the message

Simply unsending a message isn’t going to be the end of it. This is because Facebook doesn’t help those of us who want to remove all evidence of a poorly worded message.

Instead, the app will let all recipients of said message know that you have unsent something by replacing the message with a piece of texts that reads “*your name* has unsent a message”.

When this occurs, you are likely to face questions about the contents of the message, which is where it is probably best to tell a white lie and get on with your day – especially if the real message would cause offence to any recipients.

However, often your own chat history will stay in place with your unsent message, so you won’t be able to see unsent messages – but they will.

Other Messenger features

Unsending messages isn’t the only handy tool that Facebook offers its Messenger users. The following features are all available for free via the Messenger app.

Specific replies

This feature is available on all Messenger threads but is best used on group chats.

We’ve all been in situations where you open up your phone to 100+ unread messages on your Facebook group chat and find that there are a couple of things that you want to reply to but are lost in the madness of relentless messaging.

Specific replies allow users to bring these messages back to the forefront of everyone’s attention by bringing that message, and your reply, up to the most recent on the list of messages.

In order to do this, users simply need to hold down on the message they want to specifically reply to, select ‘reply’ and then type in their response.

Emoji reactions

The reaction tools on Facebook Messenger are just proof of how lazy we have become.

For example, it’s now deemed too much effort to type in ‘yes’ or ‘haha’ and instead we now just have to hold down on a message and select a thumbs up or a laughing face emoji (or any of the emojis available on your phone for that matter).

Video/voice calls

There may be instances where its easier to just phone someone rather than type out a long or confusing message and Facebook Messenger allows users to do just that.

Providing you have a stable internet connection, just open up a chat with one of your friends and select either the phone icon or camera icon on the upper right hand side of the screen to start a call.

Conclusion

To conclude, unsending a message on Facebook is completely possible and easy to do, regardless of whether you are using Facebook via a web browser or via the app.

Although all recipients will be aware of what you’ve done, they won’t know what you have unsent meaning friendships across the world can live to see another day.

Photo of author

Connect: LinkedIn

Author

Andy

Andy is a Professional Content Editor with expertise in a whole host of areas (or so he tells us anyway). His main interests are sports, tv/film and social media. He has reviewed over 100 apps so far for Apps UK.

Read more from Andy

appsuk-symbol-cropped-color-bg-purple@2x

Apps UK
International House
12 Constance Street
London, E16 2DQ