What happens if I delete a message without reading it on WhatsApp - briefly?
If you delete a message on WhatsApp before reading it, the message will be permanently removed from your device and cannot be recovered through standard means. However, if the sender has enabled read receipts, they may still see that the message was delivered but not read, depending on their settings.
What happens if I delete a message without reading it on WhatsApp - in detail?
When you delete a message without reading it on WhatsApp, several processes occur behind the scenes. Firstly, the message is removed from your device's local storage. This means that the content of the message will no longer be visible in your chat history or notifications. However, the deletion does not affect the sender's device; they will still see the message as delivered but unread by you.
WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption for all messages, ensuring that only the communicating devices can read the content of the messages. When you delete a message without reading it, this encryption remains intact. The deleted message is not permanently erased from WhatsApp's servers immediately; instead, it is marked as pending deletion. This allows WhatsApp to manage the storage and data efficiently across its platform.
It's important to note that while the sender may not be explicitly notified that you have deleted the message without reading it, they might infer this based on the lack of a read receipt (the two blue ticks next to the message). The read receipts are only sent when you open and view the message, so their absence can indicate that the message was not read.
Additionally, if you have enabled the "Delete for Everyone" feature within the allowed time frame (one hour, eight minutes, and 16 seconds), you could potentially delete the message from both your device and the recipient's device. However, this feature only applies to messages that have already been read or are still unread but not deleted by you. Deleting a message without reading it first does not trigger this feature automatically.
In summary, deleting an unread message on WhatsApp removes it from your local storage and prevents the sender from seeing read receipts. The message remains encrypted and is managed by WhatsApp's servers until it is permanently removed based on their data retention policies.