AARP tech writer Edward C. Baig answers: In some cases, yes, but you must act quickly.

Google Gmail: Set up the recall feature in advance (a one-time fix). Go to Gmail on your computer and click on Settings. Click See All Settings. Next to Undo Send, select a cancellation period, up to 30 seconds. Click Save Changes. When you send an email, you’ll see an Undo option for the amount of time selected.

Apple Mail: After sending an email, tap Undo Send at the bottom of the screen. By default, you have up to 10 seconds to recall a message, though you can change the delay to last longer in your settings: On an iPhone, tap Settings, then Apps, then Mail, then Undo Send Delay. Choose 20 or 30 seconds.

iMessages: When sending Apple’s version of a text message to most other Apple users, you can unsend the message within 20 seconds. On an iPhone or iPad, press down on the message bubble, then tap Undo Send. The recipient will get a note that a message was discarded but won’t see its contents. Unfortunately, there is no way to unsend a standard text message.

Have a question? Email personaltech@aarp.org.