Lying about a WhatsApp message

80 replies

MurphysColeslaw · Yesterday 20:12

If you sent a WhatsApp message which started off ‘Read this carefully, and to the end but then deleted it 8 hours later.
If the recipient then replied ‘I can’t read it if you’ve deleted it’ AIBU to presume they did actually read it and are lying?

OP posts:

UnintentionalArcher · Yesterday 23:06

MurphysColeslaw · Yesterday 22:02

They may well have seen a preview?
I don’t have that on my WhatsApp.
I sent a nice message to someone, but they do have a habit of skim reading messages, so I wanted them to make sure they read it to the end, because that had the nicest bit. Hence starting my message please read carefully, and to the end.
However, some hours later I was a bit self conscious/embarrassed, so deleted it in the hope that they hadn’t read it.
When they replied and started their message ‘can’t read it if you delete it’
I thought oh fuck they have read it, and are trying to spare my blushes as well as theirs.
Normally if someone deletes a message that’s not what you would say?
So that’s it.
I’m neither hard work or a drama queen or whatever else I’ve been accused of being.
I’m a person who sent someone a nice message and got embarrassed.
Thanks to those who explained shit to me and thank God I’m not someone vulnerable, because some of the responses were quite unnecessary.

I understand much better now but I don’t think a ‘can’t read it if you’ve deleted it’ comment would mean they had read the whole thing. Even if it had blue ticks, they might have opened the message (which can happen automatically if you click on a notification), not had time to read it or just skimmed and seen the length of it and decided to read the full thing later.

Given that you sent a message like this, I’d guess you have a tendency to over think and over analyse (not a criticism- I get it!!) so on that basis could you also be overthinking the response?

Original poster

MurphysColeslaw · Yesterday 23:11

@UnintentionalArcher

Yes, you’re probably right.
I feel so embarrassed I’m probably over thinking it to the nth degree.

OP posts:

TaptheCap · Yesterday 23:22

Raghnaid · Yesterday 20:41

when you send a message, it will appear on their whatsapp, which they can read at their leisure.

If however, you delete the message, before they even open it, instead of your original message it will only show that you'd sent a message, but that you'd deleted it.

So instead of your original (which you subsequently deleted) all that will show on their screen, is who the message was from but instead of your original text it will only show "message deleted"

Show quote history

Yes, but if you read the lock screen before they delete it, you'll see the first bit of the message.

I assume that the recipient saw the start of the message on the lock screen, so knows it said "read this carefully" but when they went to fully read the message properly it had been deleted.

I doubt they read the full message OP.

If I'd seen it on my lock screen I'd have wanted to make sure I had capacity to read it properly.

InterestedDad37 · Yesterday 23:22

MurphysColeslaw · Yesterday 20:30

I’m not asking for your preferred method of communication.
I’m asking if you think their reply might be indicative of the fact they did actually read it before it waxed deleted.
(It would have been a convenient ‘out’ for them)

If you're looking for us to say "clearly they must have read it before it was deleted, otherwise how would they seem to have known how it began?", well then you're going to be disappointed, as there are several scenarios for that not to be the case.
(had a notification that included the first bit of the msg; started reading, but decided to finish reading it later; were in the process of reading it, but it was deleted while they were doing so etc.

Original poster

MurphysColeslaw · Yesterday 23:28

Yes thanks for explaining, I get that now. It’s because my notifications only tell me who it is and not any hint of a message.
I then thought oh dear God, they’ve seen it because they’ve quoted the first bit.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2 3 4