If you delete messages in WhatsApp, will they remain somewhere - briefly?
When you delete messages in WhatsApp, the data is not permanently erased but remains on your device and possibly on the servers of both WhatsApp and the recipient for a brief period. However, it is important to note that this retention time can vary based on several factors, including the type of message and the policies of both parties involved.
If you delete messages in WhatsApp, will they remain somewhere - in detail?
Deleting messages on WhatsApp does not permanently remove them from all locations. When a message is deleted, it is no longer visible to the user who deleted it or to the recipient in their chat history. However, the deletion process is more complex than simply removing the data from the device.
Firstly, WhatsApp maintains a backup system for users' messages and media. If a user has enabled backups, either on Google Drive (for Android devices) or iCloud (for iOS devices), deleted messages will still be present in these backups until the next scheduled backup overwrites them. This means that even if you delete a message, it could still be recoverable from a recent backup.
Secondly, WhatsApp servers retain data for a certain period after deletion. While the exact duration is not publicly disclosed by WhatsApp, it is known that some data may remain on the servers for an unspecified time frame. This includes message content, media files (like photos and videos), and metadata associated with the messages.
Thirdly, if a user has forwarded or shared a message with others before deleting it, those recipients will still have access to the message in their chat history. Deleting a message from your device does not delete it from the devices of other users who received it.
In summary, while deleting messages on WhatsApp removes them from your visible chat history and the recipient's visible chat history, they may still exist in backups, on WhatsApp servers for some time, and on the devices of others who received the message. Therefore, it is important to understand that deletion does not guarantee complete removal from all locations.