Loophole lets users read deleted messages on WhatsApp

Just recently, WhatsApp launched its new feature ‘Delete for Everyone’ that lets the user delete messages before the recipient reads them, giving them a notification ‘The message has been deleted’. However, seems like those messages can be retrieved by both the sender and the receiver.

Spanish Android blog ‘Android Jefe’ reported that the messages deleted from the messaging app still remain on the device and can be easily accessed through the Android device’s notification log. The receiver can view the message too, even if the message was deleted from the sender’s end beforehand.

The blog reads, “What we found is that the messages are stored in the notification register of the Android system. So, it’s just a matter of entering that record to see the messages that the other person deleted.”

WhatsApp’s finally ready to offer group video, voice chats option

In order to access the deleted messages, one has to download a third-party application via Google Play known as ‘Notification History’. Then, users will have to search the message in the Android notification log. The notification log can be accessed without any additional app.

The user would have to long press the home screen, tap on ‘Widgets’, then ‘Activities’, then ‘Settings’, and finally ‘Notification Log’ from where the system’s notification log can be accessed, explained NDTV. However, there are certain limitations. Only those messages can be retrieved that have made a notification on the device and have been seen or interacted with. Interaction can be in terms of swiping away the notification or reading the notification in WhatsApp.

The messages will also be deleted if the device is restarted. After restarting, the log will be cleared up. Also, this feature is only for users with Android 7.0 and above and will only show the first 100 characters of the message. Furthermore, only the text could be recovered and no deleted media files can be accessed, reported Independent.