WhatsApp’s read receipts feature allows you to see when a message you sent has been read by the recipient. When enabled, you’ll see one checkmark when your message is delivered to the recipient’s device, and two checkmarks when they open and view it. Here’s what you need to know about using read receipts on WhatsApp.
Enabling Read Receipts
Read receipts are enabled by default on WhatsApp, but recipients can turn them off. To make sure yours are on:
- Open WhatsApp and tap the More options icon (3 dots in top right)
- Go to Settings > Account > Privacy
- Tap Read receipts and make sure the toggle is enabled (green)
This will allow people you chat with to see when you’ve read their messages. You can also enable read receipts for specific chats – just tap on a contact’s name in your chats list and enable it in their contact info screen.
Viewing Someone’s Read Receipts
To see if someone has read your message, simply look under the sent message for one or two gray check marks:
- One check: Message delivered to their device.
- Two checks: They’ve read your message.
The double check will appear when the other person opens your chat. If you don’t see it, they probably haven’t read your message yet.
A couple things to note:
- Read receipts only work for one-on-one chats, not groups.
- It’s possible to read a message without triggering the read receipt, by disabling read receipts or using certain third-party apps.
- If you turn off your own read receipts, others won’t be able to see if you’ve read their messages.
Read Receipts for Group Chats
Read receipts don’t apply to WhatsApp group chats – it’s not possible to see who has read messages in a group. Instead, when you send a message in a group, you’ll see:
- One check: Your message was sent.
- Two checks: Your message was delivered to all group members.
The two checkmarks indicate your message was successfully delivered to everyone’s devices. But it doesn’t confirm anyone actually opened and read it. There’s no way to tell who read your group chat message on WhatsApp.
Disabling Read Receipts
If you prefer not to let others know when you’ve read their messages, you can disable read receipts in your WhatsApp settings:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy.
- Tap Read Receipts and toggle it off.
This will prevent contacts from seeing your read receipts. You can also disable them for specific chats – just toggle off Read Receipts in a contact’s info screen.
A few things happen when you disable read receipts:
- You won’t see read receipts from other people.
- Your contacts will see one gray check if you receive their message.
- They won’t get a second gray check when you read it.
Keep in mind that even with read receipts off, there are ways others can possibly tell if you’ve read a message, like seeing when you’re online or if you respond immediately. Disabling read receipts simply removes the checkmark indicator.
Seeing Read Receipts on iPhone vs Android
Read receipts work the same way on both iPhone and Android. The one difference is how they look:
- iPhone: Read receipts show as solid blue checks.
- Android: Read receipts show as solid gray checks.
So on iPhone, one gray check means delivered, two blue checks means read. And on Android it’s one gray check vs. two gray checks.
Read Receipts for Calls
In addition to messages, WhatsApp also has read receipts for calls:
- One check: Your call was successfully placed.
- Two checks: Your call was accepted by the recipient.
If you only see one checkmark, it means your call either went unanswered or was rejected. Two checkmarks indicate they answered your call.
Troubleshooting Missing Read Receipts
If your read receipts aren’t working properly, here are some things to try:
- Make sure you have an active internet connection on your phone.
- Confirm read receipts are enabled in your WhatsApp settings.
- Check if the other person has disabled read receipts in their settings.
- Restart the WhatsApp app and try again.
- Update WhatsApp to the latest version.
If none of that works, the issue may be on WhatsApp’s end. Try waiting a bit and check again later.
Turning Off Read Receipts Temporarily
Instead of disabling read receipts completely, you can temporarily turn them off in a chat. Here’s how:
- Open the chat you want to disable read receipts in.
- Tap on the contact’s name at the top.
- Tap Read receipts off. This toggles them off for that specific chat.
When you toggle this setting, the person will no longer see your read receipts just for that chat. You’ll still see their read receipts. This gives you more control over which chats you want to share read status in.
Using Airplane Mode to Read Messages
If you want to read a message without the other person seeing you’ve read it, you can use Airplane mode:
- Open WhatsApp and go to the chat you want to read.
- Turn on Airplane mode on your phone. This will disable all connections.
- Read the message you want to without triggering the read receipt.
- Close WhatsApp completely once you’re done reading.
- Turn off Airplane mode to reconnect.
As long as you fully close WhatsApp before disabling Airplane mode, the message will show as unread to the sender. This is because disconnecting from the internet prevents the read receipt from being sent.
Using Third-Party Apps
There are various third-party apps that can read WhatsApp messages outside of the official WhatsApp app. Examples include Unseen and Flyp.
These apps retrieve your messages in the background without triggering the blue/gray check read indicator. So you can read messages secretly without the sender knowing.
However, be aware that these third-party apps violate WhatsApp’s terms of service. WhatsApp does not allow other apps to read your messages, so use these at your own risk.
Conclusion
Read receipts allow WhatsApp users to see when their messages are read by recipients. They can be disabled for greater privacy but are enabled by default. While useful, read receipts only apply to one-on-one chats, not groups. With some workarounds, it is possible to read messages without triggering receipts. Understanding how the WhatsApp read status feature works helps ensure your message is being seen while respecting others’ privacy.