If a WhatsApp message is not delivered and deleted, will the recipient see it?

If a WhatsApp message is not delivered and deleted, will the recipient see it - briefly?

If a WhatsApp message fails to deliver and is subsequently deleted, the recipient will not be able to view it. This is because undelivered messages are automatically purged from the system upon deletion by the sender.

If a WhatsApp message is not delivered and deleted, will the recipient see it - in detail?

The behavior of WhatsApp messages that are not delivered and subsequently deleted can be somewhat complex, depending on various factors. When a message fails to deliver and is then deleted by the sender, several scenarios could occur:

1. Message Status: If a message does not show as "Delivered" (indicated by two gray ticks), it means that the recipient's device has not yet received the message. This can happen due to connectivity issues or if the recipient has turned off their internet connection or blocked the sender.

2. Deletion Process: When a sender deletes an undelivered message, WhatsApp attempts to remove it from both the sender's and recipient's devices. However, the success of this operation relies on several conditions being met:

   • Timing: The delete request must be sent before the message is successfully delivered to the recipient. If delivery occurs after the deletion attempt, the message will appear on the recipient’s device.
   • Network Connection: Both the sender and recipient need a stable internet connection for the delete operation to succeed.

3. Recipient's Device Status: The state of the recipient’s device also plays a crucial role:

   • If the recipient has turned off their device or is not connected to the internet, the message may not be received at all, and hence, no trace of it will appear on their phone.
   • If the recipient’s device is online but the delete request is sent after the message is delivered, the recipient will see the message before it gets deleted from their chat.

4. Backup Considerations: Even if a message is successfully deleted from both devices, there remains a possibility that the message could be recovered from backups:

   • WhatsApp allows users to create regular backups of their chats, which are stored on the user's local device or cloud storage. Deleted messages can still exist in these backups until they are manually deleted or the backup expires.

5. Group Chats: In group chats, the dynamics change:

   • If a message is not delivered to any members and then deleted by the sender, it will not appear on any member’s device. However, if one member receives the message before deletion, all other members in the chat will also see it.

In summary, whether a recipient sees an undelivered and deleted WhatsApp message depends on the timing of delivery attempts, internet connectivity, and the state of the recipient's device. While WhatsApp strives to ensure that such messages do not reach the recipient, the reliability of this process is not absolute due to various technical factors.