WhatsApp Read Receipts: Ticks That Betray You

WhatsApp is a popular instant messaging app with a slew of features including, read receipts. Read receipts let users know if and when a message is received and read. Some users aren't fans of this feature. They feel pressured to respond immediately if the sender knows they opened and read a message. If you prefer not to have read receipts, it's easy to disable this feature.

Instructions in this article apply to WhatsApp for iPhone and Android.

What WhatsApp Read Receipts Look Like

WhatsApp Read Receipts look like checkmarks. When you send a message, a grey checkmark appears next to the time stamp. Two checkmarks appear upon delivery to the recipient.

When the recipient reads it, two blue checkmarks appear. In a group chat, both checkmarks turn blue after every participant of the group chat opens the message.

If you don't see two blue checkmarks next to a message you sent, the recipient hasn't opened it, one of you disabled read receipts, the recipient blocked you, or one of you has connection issues.

How to Disable Read Receipts

Read receipts are a two-way street. If you disable read receipts, you won't be able to tell when others have read yours.

There's no way to disable the read receipts for group chats or play receipts for voice messages on Android or iOS.

Disable Read Receipts in WhatsApp for iPhone

You can disable read receipts on iPhone in a few steps, which turns the feature off for all one-on-one chats.

Open WhatsApp.
Select Settings from the bottom menu.
Select Account.
Select Privacy.
Turn off Read Receipts to disable the feature.

Disable Read Receipts in WhatsApp for Android

Turning off this feature on Android is similar to iOS and just as easy.

Open WhatsApp and select More Options (three vertical dots).
Select Settings > Account > Privacy.
Turn off Read Receipts.

The WhatsApp Message Info Screen

For more detailed information, the WhatsApp Message Info screen displays when your message was delivered, read, or played by the recipient.

To see the Message Info screen on WhatsApp for iPhone, open a chat with a contact or group and swipe from right to left.

To see the Message Info screen on WhatsApp for Android, open a chat with a contact or group, tap and hold your sent message, press the three-dotted menu, and then Info.