Strings: A "regret pill" for sending the wrong message in chat

“I think the most thoughtful WeChat feature is to withdraw messages.”

A friend once said this to me. Maybe you are like him, sometimes you feel annoyed that you just sent an inappropriate message or an imperfect photo, so you want to take a "regret pill" and delete the message.

Now, there is a mobile app that focuses on message deletion that can help you solve all these troubles. Be Labs, a company based in Seattle, has developed an app called Strings, which allows users to regret and permanently take back the messages, photos and videos they have sent.

Strings will ask for your permission when someone tries to download or share the content you sent. If someone tries to take a screenshot to get the content you posted, Strings will find out and suspend the user's account. When you delete a conversation with him/her, everything you sent will be deleted, including the content on his/her device. When you choose to leave Strings and deactivate your account, all your messages, photos, and videos on your phone and server will also be deleted "immediately and forever."

It can be seen that all the functions of Strings are built around "deletion", which is equivalent to a WhatsApp application with an added deletion function . And, like WhatsApp, the message you send must be received by the other party who has also installed the Strings application.

Of course, Strings is not the only app that allows users to delete messages. Among the many apps, the most well-known one should be Snapchat, which is valued at $10 billion. But unlike Snapchat, which automatically deletes sent content within 1 to 10 seconds, the advantage of Strings is that you have full control over your content, and you can delete or save it. Unlike WeChat, which can only recall text messages, it can send and delete photos and videos of unlimited length.

However, even if you regret it, you should still be vigilant and pay attention to your privacy security. You should know that last October, a third-party Snapchat client leaked hundreds of thousands of user photos. Earlier in September, Apple iCloud was also hacked, and the private photos of many celebrities were exposed.

Currently, iOS users can search for Strings in the App Store and try this regret medicine. However, Android users will have to wait for a while.