Line Lets You Take Back That Text Message

Line app adds unsend for recalling missent messages.

When the Drunk Mode app was launched, it was nothing short of remarkable. As it turns out, getting drunk and performing a pseudo-striptease at the office Christmas party is NOT the worst thing you can do… sending your jerk of a boss a text that tells him what you think of him could be, though.

With the launch of the app and others like it (such as “Drunk Locker” and “I’m Getting Arrested”), we finally had tools at our fingertips to prevent mobile device behaviors that might occur while under the influence. But wouldn’t it be great if we could take it a step further and actually take back some of those mean, embarrassing, or employment-affecting things we text? Now you can, with Line.

Line app addition could save you A LOT of hassle.

24 hour window

Unlike similar features in platforms like WhatsApp, Line gives you a 24-hour window to delete a text you sent from the recipient’s messaging. It also lets you delete it whether it’s been read or not, and it works with a variety of content formats, including text, voice message, images, and more.

What a time to be alive…

There are snags, though

Before you go treating Line as your own personal venting platform, there are a few snags to keep in mind. First, it does not stop the notification from coming through on iOS. Your ex-romantic love interest will still see that you sent some kind of communication, even if they don’t know the context of it. If you do erase a message, the recipient will also see that you deleted it, which could lead to even more questions than answers.

On a far more serious note, the team at Line probably didn’t develop this just for the ability to erase your embarrassing mistakes. In reality, this has really good implications for conducting business, such as sending the wrong link to a client, or showing Mom a picture of those pajamas you want her to buy again but accidentally sending it to a work associate instead.

All on Line

There’s one last thing to remember about this helpful feature: it only happens if everyone you’re talking to is using Line, and is running the most recent update of the app. Otherwise, you’ll have some explaining to do next time you see this person face to face.