What disabling read receipts does and doesn't do
Turning off read receipts on iPhone stops the other person from seeing the two blue checkmarks that appear when you open their message. Without read receipts, they see one gray checkmark when the message reaches your phone, but nothing that tells them you've read it. This is a real privacy choice — it means they won't know when you've seen their message, only that it arrived.
What it doesn't do: disabling read receipts doesn't hide that you're typing, doesn't prevent them from seeing when you were last active, and doesn't encrypt the message itself. If you use iMessage (Apple's encrypted messaging between iPhones), the message is encrypted in transit. If you text someone on Android or use SMS, the message is not encrypted, and disabling read receipts changes nothing about that. Read receipts are only about visibility into whether you've opened the message.
You can turn off read receipts globally for all conversations, or turn them off for specific people. Most people turn them off globally because the setting is easier to manage and you don't have to remember which person you disabled it for.
Key Takeaways
- Disabling read receipts stops others from seeing the blue checkmarks that show you've read their message, but they still see one gray checkmark when it arrives.
- The global setting turns off read receipts for all conversations at once, and you'll find it under Settings > Messages > Send Read Receipts.
- You can also disable read receipts for one person by opening their conversation, tapping their name at the top, and toggling off "Send Read Receipts."
- Turning off read receipts does not encrypt your messages, hide your typing indicator, or change whether SMS texts are encrypted — it only hides the "read" status.
How to turn off read receipts for all conversations
Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Scroll down and tap Messages. Look for the toggle next to Send Read Receipts and tap it to turn it off. The toggle will no longer be green.
That's the entire process. Once you do this, no one will see the blue checkmarks when you read their messages, whether they're using iMessage or regular text. If you change your mind later, you come back to the same setting and toggle it back on.
How to turn off read receipts for one person only
If you want to keep read receipts on for most people but hide them from one specific person, open the Messages app and find that person's conversation. Tap their name or number at the very top of the conversation thread — not the message itself, but the header area where their name appears.
A menu will open showing their contact card. Scroll down until you see Send Read Receipts and tap the toggle to turn it off. Now that person won't see when you've read their messages, but everyone else will still see your read receipts as normal.
This approach takes more steps each time you want to change it for a new person, so most people find it easier to just turn off read receipts globally. But if you want to hide your read status from one person while staying visible to everyone else, this is how you do it.
Why someone might want to disable read receipts
The most common reason is that read receipts create an expectation of a fast response. When someone sees you've read their message, they may feel ignored if you don't reply right away, even if you're busy or need time to think. Disabling read receipts removes that pressure — they know the message arrived, but they don't know whether you've seen it yet.
Another reason is that some people find read receipts intrusive. You might not want someone to know your exact moment-to-moment availability. If you're trying to set a boundary with someone — a coworker, a family member, or someone you're not close to — hiding your read status is a low-friction way to do that without saying anything directly.
A third reason is straightforward preference. Some people think read receipts are a feature that benefits the sender more than the reader, and they'd rather not participate in that dynamic at all.
What happens when you disable read receipts
When you turn off read receipts, the person messaging you will see one gray checkmark when their message reaches your phone. They will not see a second checkmark, and they will not see any indication that you've opened the message. From their perspective, the message is delivered but unread — even if you read it five seconds after it arrived.
If you reply to them, they'll obviously know you read it because you sent a response. But if you read their message and don't reply, they have no way to know you saw it. This can actually be useful if you want to read something without committing to a response yet.
Read receipts and iMessage versus SMS
Read receipts work differently depending on whether you're using iMessage or regular text messages. iMessage is Apple's encrypted messaging system that works between iPhones, iPads, and Macs. When you send an iMessage, it appears in a blue bubble, and read receipts show as blue checkmarks.
When you text someone on Android or use SMS (regular text), the message appears in a green bubble. Read receipts still work the same way — you can turn them on or off — but SMS messages are not encrypted. Disabling read receipts doesn't change that. If privacy of the message content itself is your concern, you'd need to use an encrypted messaging app like Signal or WhatsApp instead.
The read receipts setting applies to both iMessage and SMS at the same time. You can't turn off read receipts for iMessage only and keep them on for SMS, or vice versa. It's a single setting that covers all your messages.
Other visibility settings that are separate from read receipts
Typing indicators are different from read receipts. When you start typing a message, the other person sees "Name is typing..." at the top of the conversation. Disabling read receipts does not turn off typing indicators. If you want to hide that you're typing, you'd need to disable typing indicators separately — that setting is also in Messages under Show Typing Indicator.
Last seen is another separate setting. Some messaging apps show when you were last active. iMessage doesn't have a built-in "last seen" feature the way WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger do, but if you use those apps, disabling read receipts won't hide your last activity time. You'd need to check those apps' privacy settings separately.
If you want full privacy around your availability, you may need to adjust multiple settings across different apps. Read receipts are just one piece of that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I disabled read receipts?
No. They'll just see that your messages show one checkmark instead of two, but they won't receive a notification that you turned off read receipts. Some people might notice the pattern and figure it out, but there's no alert or message that tells them.
Can I see other people's read receipts if I turn mine off?
Yes. Disabling read receipts only controls what you send out, not what you receive. You'll still see the blue checkmarks when other people read your messages — unless they've also disabled their read receipts, in which case you'll only see one gray checkmark from them.
What if I turn off read receipts and then change my mind?
Go back to Settings > Messages > Send Read Receipts and toggle it back on. If you disabled it for one person only, open their conversation, tap their name at the top, and toggle it back on. The change takes effect when ready.
Does disabling read receipts make my messages more find?
No. Read receipts are about visibility into whether you've opened a message, not about the security of the message itself. iMessage is encrypted whether read receipts are on or off. SMS messages are not encrypted either way. If you're concerned about message security, use an encrypted app like Signal instead.
Can I disable read receipts for group chats?
Yes. The same setting applies to group conversations. When you turn off read receipts globally, no one in any group chat will see when you've read messages. If you want to disable them for one group only, open the group conversation, tap the group name at the top, and toggle off Send Read Receipts for that group specifically.