If a WhatsApp message is not delivered and deleted, what happens - briefly?
If a WhatsApp message fails to deliver and the sender deletes it from their own device, the message will be permanently removed from both the sender's and recipient's devices. This action cannot be undone, and neither party will have access to the content of the deleted message.
If a WhatsApp message is not delivered and deleted, what happens - in detail?
If a WhatsApp message fails to deliver and is subsequently deleted by the sender, several events occur behind the scenes:
Firstly, WhatsApp employs a robust delivery system designed to ensure that messages reach their intended recipients. When a message is sent, it is encrypted and routed through WhatsApp's servers. If the recipient’s device is offline or unable to receive the message due to connectivity issues, the message remains in WhatsApp’s servers until delivery can be attempted again.
However, if the sender decides to delete the message before it has been delivered, the action triggers a different sequence of events. When the deletion occurs, WhatsApp does not remove the message from its servers immediately. Instead, it marks the message as "deleted" and attempts to deliver it to the recipient’s device. If the recipient's device is offline at the time of attempted delivery, the message will remain in WhatsApp’s servers until the device comes back online.
Once the recipient’s device becomes available, WhatsApp will attempt to deliver the marked "deleted" message. However, due to the deletion marker, the message will not appear in the recipient's chat history. Instead, the recipient will receive a notification indicating that a message was deleted before it could be delivered. The content of the message itself will not be visible to the recipient, preserving the sender’s intention to retract the communication.
It is important to note that while WhatsApp endeavors to maintain privacy and security, complete erasure of messages from its servers may not always be instantaneous or guaranteed due to the complexities involved in data management across a global network. Nonetheless, marking a message as "deleted" ensures that it will not be displayed to the intended recipient, thereby respecting the sender’s decision to withdraw the communication.
In summary, when an undelivered WhatsApp message is deleted by the sender, it is flagged for deletion and attempts are made to deliver this flagged message. Upon successful delivery, the recipient will be notified that a message was deleted before they could see its content, thus safeguarding the privacy and intent of the original sender.