What happens if you delete a chat in WhatsApp with unread messages - briefly?
When you delete a chat in WhatsApp that contains unread messages, the unread messages are also deleted along with the chat. This action is irreversible and the messages cannot be recovered.
What happens if you delete a chat in WhatsApp with unread messages - in detail?
Deleting a chat in WhatsApp that contains unread messages can have several implications, depending on whether the deletion is performed by the sender or the recipient and whether the message has been delivered or not.
When a user deletes a chat from their device, it only removes the local copy of the conversation. The messages themselves are still stored on WhatsApp's servers. Therefore, if you delete a chat with unread messages, those unread messages will still exist on the server and can be accessed by the other party in the conversation.
For the sender: If the sender deletes the chat, the recipient will not see any changes in their chat window. The unread messages will remain visible to them, as they are stored on WhatsApp's servers. However, if the sender had enabled the "Delete for Everyone" feature before deleting the chat, then all messages, including unread ones, would be removed from both parties' devices and from WhatsApp's servers.
For the recipient: If the recipient deletes the chat, they will no longer see any of the messages in that conversation, including the unread ones. However, the sender can still view all the messages in their chat window, as the messages are stored on WhatsApp's servers. If the recipient had read some of the messages before deleting the chat, those messages would also be visible to the sender.
It is important to note that deleted chats can be restored by reinstalling WhatsApp and logging back into your account. This will not recover the local copies of the messages but will allow you to access the conversation history stored on WhatsApp's servers.
In summary, deleting a chat with unread messages in WhatsApp does not permanently remove those messages from the server. The visibility of the messages depends on who deleted the chat and whether the "Delete for Everyone" feature was used.