Oops, wrong number! D’oh, stupid autocorrect! Gah, why did I think texting my ex was a good idea?!
We’ve all had our share of cringe-worthy texts that we regret the moment we send them. In the past, you haven’t had too many options: send a quick apology, hope the other person will gloss over your oversight, or block that contact and delete all evidence of your lapse in judgment. Thankfully, that all ends today. And yes, it even goes beyond this texting hack that lets you hide your number from anyone.
On Second Thought is an app that lets you take back your texts after hitting send. It syncs with your usual texting program to let you message everyone on your contact list as usual, just in a different app—and with some nifty “unsend” features that prevent endless embarrassment.
The app lets you choose a “grace period” of up to 60 seconds after you hit send when you can delete the message. Even if the other person doesn’t have On Second Thought, you can either recall the text to edit it, or delete it completely. Either way, your almost-recipient will be none the wiser, and you get to save face.
If you have a habit of sending unfortunate texts that you regret the next day, On Second Thought has another solution. During periods of time when you don’t quite trust yourself to make great texting decisions—say, when grabbing drinks with that pot-stirring friend who always convinces you to call out your ex—the app can set up a “curfew.” Any texts you try to send during that time will be held until morning. In the morning, when your head is clear, you can decide whether you want to follow through with sending them.
The unsend app isn’t available on the Apple App Store yet, but you can download it from Google Play. So far, users seem to appreciate it; On Second Thought has earned an average of 4.1 stars out of 830 reviews. Rest assured, your reputation will be saved.
