Telegram lets people edit messages, letting them fix shameful typos after they’ve been sent

Rivals like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger haven’t yet introduced the feature

Icons from the Telegram messaging app show some of its headline features, including self-destructing messages that can't be read (REUTERS/Thomas White)

Telegram has finally made it possible to edit messages, meaning that you can clean up shameful typos even after they’ve been sent.

The app is the first mainstream chat app to introduce editable texts – a feature that is still lacking in rivals like WhatsApp.

Messages can be edited on mobile by tapping and holding on any particular bubble, then clicking edit when the menu comes up. On desktop, you can press the up arrow or right click to highlight the right message and then change it.

Once messages have been edited, they’ll display a little “edited” label so that people know that they have been changed.

At the moment, the feature doesn’t seem to be working reliably for everyone, meaning that an edited message might still show in its original form. As such, the feature is probably better relied on for fixing typos than saving yourself from potential embarrassment.

Some chat services, like Slack, already offer the option to edit your messages after they’ve been sent. But none of the mainstream personal apps do, with apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and iMessage not yet integrating the feature or choosing not to integrate it.

The Telegram update also comes with a range of other features including an easier way to mention people in chats and a new way to find conversations with specific people. It also changes the look of the interface.