How can an admin delete a participant's message in a WhatsApp group?

How can an admin delete a participant's message in a WhatsApp group - briefly?

To delete a participant's message in a WhatsApp group, the admin must follow these steps:

  1. Open the chat where the message is located.
  2. Long-press on the message until the options appear, then select "Delete for Everyone."

How can an admin delete a participant's message in a WhatsApp group - in detail?

To delete a participant's message in a WhatsApp group, the group administrator must follow these steps:

  1. Open WhatsApp: Launch the WhatsApp application on your smartphone or access it through WhatsApp Web if you prefer using a desktop interface.
  2. Navigate to Group Chat: Select the specific group in which you want to delete the message. This can be done by tapping on the group name from the chats list.
  3. Locate the Message: Scroll through the conversation to find the message that needs to be deleted. WhatsApp allows messages to be deleted up to 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 16 seconds after they have been sent.
  4. Long Press on the Message: Tap and hold the message until a menu appears at the top of your screen. This action is crucial as it enables the deletion option.
  5. Select 'Delete for Everyone': From the menu, choose the 'Delete for Everyone' option. This will remove the message from everyone’s devices in the group, not just the admin’s device.
  6. Confirm Deletion: A confirmation prompt will appear. Tap 'Delete' to finalize the action. Once confirmed, the message will be removed from all participants' views in the group chat.
  7. Check for Successful Deletion: After a few moments, verify that the message has been deleted by checking both your own and another participant’s view of the group chat. The deleted message should now display as "This message was deleted."

It is important to note that deleting a message does not entirely remove it from WhatsApp's servers; however, it will no longer be visible in the chat history for any participants. Additionally, group members may still see a notification indicating that a message has been deleted, which could spark curiosity but will not reveal the content of the original message.

Administrators should use this feature responsibly, ensuring that messages are only deleted when necessary and in accordance with the group’s guidelines or community standards.