WhatsApp has announced a much-requested edit feature that lets you alter a message within 15 minutes of sending it.

“From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we’re excited to bring you more control over your chats,” Meta-owned WhatsApp said in a blog post introducing the handy feature.

Up to now, the only way to change a WhatsApp message was by quickly deleting it and then creating a new one, though, of course, the recipient/s may have had a chance to read the original message. The new edit feature also carries the same risk, though it offers a more convenient way to alter a message as you can just focus on the correction that you need to make instead of having to rewrite the entire message.

WhatsApp said the new edit feature has started rolling out globally and will be available to everyone “in the coming weeks.”

To use WhatsApp’s edit feature, simply long-press on a sent message and choose Edit from the menu for up to 15 minutes after you sent it.

Edited messages will show with an ‘edited’ label so that whoever receives it will be aware that a correction was made, though no edit history will be available to view.

WhatsApp also confirms that as with all personal messages, media, and calls, your messages — and any edits that you make — are protected by end-to-end encryption.

WhatsApp started out in 2009 and picked up around a quarter of a million users in its first year before growing to 400 million users over the next four years. Facebook (now Meta) acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014 and the messaging app now has several billion monthly active users around the world.