WhatsApp will allow users to edit their messages - but only for 15 minutes after they have been sent.

The Meta-owned messaging service has started rolling out the new function and it will be available to all users in the coming weeks.

Messages will carry a label showing they have been edited - but they won't show how they have been changed.

To edit one, a user will need to press and hold a message and choose "edit" from the drop-down menu.

The edit option will be available for 15 minutes after the message has been sent.

The new function is for "the moments when you make a mistake, or simply change your mind", the company wrote in a blog post.

"From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we're excited to bring you more control over your chats."

WhatsApp is the latest service to offer an edit function after messaging services Telegram and Signal introduced it.

Twitter introduced its Edit Tweet function to paying subscribers last year.

Facebook has allowed users to edit posts and comments - but not messages - for almost a decade.

WhatsApp's latest update comes after Meta announced it would allow users to lock and hide conversations.

Chat Lock will remove a chat thread from the app's regular onscreen inbox and place it into a new folder that can only be opened by a password or biometric, such as facial recognition or a fingerprint.

Meta called it "one more layer of security" but the feature could put it at odds with the UK government's online safety bill.