WhatsApp is about to give group admins more power over which messages you can see

Admin Palpatine says 'UNLIMITED POWER'

Being a WhatsApp admin is more than about sporting a cool badge beside your name and flexing on your rank and file. The title also comes with a set of privileges to help exercise control over a group such as the ability to add/remove members at will, restrict messages, pass administratorship to someone else, and more. Now as the latest update shows, WhatsApp will be endowing them with even more power.

WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp 2.22.11.4 — currently rolling out via the beta channel of the app — has a feature tucked in that allows administrators to delete other members' messages for everyone within a group. It first made an appearance on a beta update from December last year, but the latest beta throws a new prompt when an admin tries to delete a message, explaining the feature while also acting as a confirmation. The whole thing's still at the development stage, though, meaning it's not accessible to beta testers yet and is likely undergoing internal testing.

Of course, as it is with other deletions, messages deleted by admins will still leave a trace behind with a “You deleted this message” placeholder.

While we definitely see admins getting behind this feature since it grants them greater authority — and who doesn’t love that? — regular members may not be as pleased. Despite this, its addition is probably for the better since it will be great for moderation, particularly in light of the chat service paving the way for much larger groups. Small personal groups might not have to deal with problematic texts or spam as often as these new Communities might, but no matter their size, this tool will come in handy for the people who manage them.