Message Deletions Surge 327% as Kakao Expands Undo Time to 24 Hours (Image courtesy of Kakao)
SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Kakao’s decision to give users more time to retract messages on its flagship app KakaoTalk has drawn an enthusiastic response, with deletions surging more than threefold in the week after the update.
The company said Monday that average daily use of the delete function jumped 327 percent compared with the week before it extended the deletion window from five minutes to 24 hours. On average, 710,000 users a day erased messages more than five minutes after sending them.
The change, rolled out on Aug. 12, marked the first major revision of the feature since its introduction in 2018. Initially designed to correct sending mistakes, the delete option allows users to remove text, images, videos and emojis within a set time frame.
Kakao also updated how deletions are displayed. In one-on-one chats, only the sender can see that they removed their own message, while in group conversations deleted messages no longer identify who erased them — a change aimed at reducing social friction.
“We wanted to lower the burden of conversations and create a smoother communication environment,” a Kakao spokesperson said.
The update reflects growing user demand for greater control over digital conversations, in line with similar moves by global messaging platforms.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
