WeChat Recall Update You Can’t Miss—All You Need to Know

Source: OT-Team(G), 封面新闻

Sent the wrong messages again?  Don't panic.  WeChat's latest update brings a long-awaited solution: a new "Recall All Messages" feature that lets users undo entire message batches in seconds.

Most WeChat users are already familiar with the platform's "recall message" function. When a message is sent in error, users can press and hold the message within two minutes and select "Recall" to withdraw it — whether it's text, an image, or a voice message. The recipient then sees the notification: "The other party recalled a message."

Now, WeChat is reportedly updating this feature.

According to several users, when pressing and holding a message sent within the past two minutes, WeChat now shows two options: "Recall this message" and "Recall all messages sent this time."

The new "Recall all messages sent this time" option allows users to withdraw multiple messages from the same batch in one tap, rather than recalling them one by one. This makes it much faster and easier to fix mistakes, especially when several messages were sent in error — no more panicking over multiple recall attempts.

At present, this feature is still in limited gray-scale testing, meaning only a small group of users can access it. If your WeChat doesn't yet support this update, you may need to wait until it's officially rolled out.

In addition, there's an interesting detail about WeChat's recall feature: the time limit varies depending on the type of message.

Within 2 minutes:

Messages such as text, voice, emojis, images, videos, public account articles, video channel links, and mini programs can all be recalled within two minutes of being sent. Text messages can also be re-edited within five minutes after being recalled.

Within 3 hours:

Files including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, MP3, and compressed packages can be recalled within three hours after sending.

This means if you're worried about sending the wrong photo, there's a workaround: send it as a file instead of an image.

Here's how: open the chat, tap the "+" icon, swipe left to find [File], then select [From phone gallery], choose the photo you want, and send it. The recipient will see it as a file rather than a displayed image — but they can tap to view it.

By sending photos this way, you'll still be able to recall them up to three hours later, not just within two minutes. It's a handy trick worth trying the next time you need to share pictures securely.