WhatsApp: Did you know that deleted messages can be read

WhatsApp introduced the much-awaited 'Delete for Everyone' feature lately. With this feature, it is possible for users to recall a specific message that has been inadvertently sent.

Recently, a Spanish Android blog Android Jefe as discovered that the deleted messages can still be read by the recipient. The report claims that the deleted messages will be present in the notification log of the recipient's smartphone. It has added that the recipient can access the deleted messages even if the sender has deleted the same using the 'Delete for Everyone' feature. The blog adds that it is just about entering the notification record to check the messages deleted by the sender.

The blog shows that anyone can get access to the deleted WhatsApp messages those were sent to them using a third-party app intended for the same. One such app is the Notification History available on Google Play Store. After downloading the app, you will have to search the message in the Android notification log.

If you are using third-party launchers such as Nova Launcher, this process will be easier as you can just open it from Widgets → Activities → Settings → Notification Log instead of installing another app for the purpose. Even stock Android has a widget for the notification log access.

Remember that there is a catch in checking the notification log for the deleted messages. You can only check the messages will be saved on the log only until the device is restarted. Once you have restarted your device, the notification log will be cleared. Also, only the first 100 characters of the deleted messages will be visible and not the entire message. This notification log feature is available only for those using Android 7.0 Nougat and above devices. And, it will let you retrieve only the text and not the media files.

Notably, this notification log concept is applicable only on Android devices. On iOS, WhatsApp will delete the entire notification and you can no longer access the deleted message and get to know what it is.