Yes, you can turn off read receipts on WhatsApp, and it takes about 30 seconds
Read receipts are the two blue checkmarks that appear next to your message when someone has opened and read it. WhatsApp lets you disable them entirely — when you do, no one will see whether you have read their messages, and they won't see your read receipts either. The setting works the same way on iPhone and Android, though the exact menu location differs slightly between the two.
Turning off read receipts is a one-way switch. Once you disable them, every conversation you have will stop showing read receipts to other people. You cannot turn them off for one person or one chat while keeping them on everywhere else. If you change your mind later, you can turn them back on using the same steps.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts are the two blue checkmarks that show someone has read your message, and you can disable them in WhatsApp settings.
- When you turn off read receipts, other people cannot see that you have read their messages, and you will not see theirs either.
- The setting applies to all your conversations at once — you cannot disable read receipts for just one person or group chat.
- On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Read Receipts and toggle it off; on Android, go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Read Receipts and toggle it off.
How to disable read receipts on iPhone
Open WhatsApp and tap the Settings icon in the bottom right corner. Tap Privacy. You will see a toggle next to "Read Receipts" — tap it to turn the feature off. The toggle will no longer be highlighted, which means read receipts are now disabled.
After you disable read receipts, the two blue checkmarks will still appear next to messages you send, but they will only turn blue when the message reaches WhatsApp's servers, not when the person actually opens it. Other people will see the same thing — one gray checkmark when the message is sent, two gray checkmarks when it is delivered, but the checkmarks will never turn blue to show they have read it.
How to disable read receipts on Android
Open WhatsApp and tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner. Tap Settings. Tap Account, then Privacy. You will see "Read Receipts" with a toggle next to it — tap the toggle to turn it off. The toggle will no longer be highlighted.
Like on iPhone, the checkmarks next to your messages will stay gray instead of turning blue. Other people will not be able to tell whether you have read their messages, and you will not see whether they have read yours.
What happens when you turn off read receipts
When read receipts are disabled, you lose the ability to see when someone has actually opened your message. You will only know that the message was delivered to their phone, not whether they have looked at it. This can make it harder to tell if someone is ignoring you or straightforward has not seen your message yet.
The person you are messaging will have the same experience in reverse — they will not know whether you have read what they sent. If you usually respond quickly, they may not notice the difference. If you tend to read messages but take hours to reply, they might wonder whether you saw their message at all.
Why people turn off read receipts
Some people disable read receipts because they do not want others to know they have seen a message but chosen not to respond. This is common in work situations where a message might require a thoughtful reply, or in personal relationships where someone wants the freedom to read and think before answering.
Others turn them off for privacy reasons — they prefer not to broadcast their activity or availability. Disabling read receipts also removes the pressure some people feel to respond when ready once they have opened a message. Without the blue checkmarks, there is no visible proof that you have seen something, so the expectation to reply right away may feel less urgent.
You cannot disable read receipts for one person or group
WhatsApp does not offer a way to turn off read receipts for specific contacts or individual chats. The setting is all-or-nothing — either everyone sees your read receipts, or no one does. If you want to hide your read status from one particular person, you would need to disable read receipts for all your conversations.
Some messaging apps like Telegram and Signal do allow you to disable read receipts per conversation, but WhatsApp has not added that feature. If you need more granular control over who sees your activity, you would need to switch to a different app or accept that disabling read receipts affects all your chats.
What read receipts actually tell you
The two blue checkmarks mean the person has opened the WhatsApp app and the message appeared on their screen. It does not necessarily mean they have read every word or understood what you wrote — just that the message was visible to them at some point. Someone could open WhatsApp, see your message appear, and then when ready close the app without actually reading it, and the checkmarks would still turn blue.
Read receipts also do not tell you whether someone is actively looking at the message right now. The checkmarks turn blue the moment they open the chat, and they stay blue whether the person is still reading or has moved on to something else. So a blue checkmark means "this person has seen this message at some point," not "this person is currently reading this message."
Frequently Asked Questions
If I turn off read receipts, can I still see when other people read my messages?
No. When you disable read receipts, the setting works both ways — you will not see other people's read receipts, and they will not see yours. It is not possible to hide your own read status while still seeing theirs.
Will people know I turned off read receipts?
They may suspect it if they notice the checkmarks never turn blue, but WhatsApp does not send a notification or announcement when someone disables read receipts. There is no way for someone to definitively know whether you have the feature turned off or straightforward have not opened the message yet.
Can I turn read receipts back on after I disable them?
Yes. Go back to the same settings menu (Settings > Privacy on iPhone, or Settings > Account > Privacy on Android) and toggle read receipts back on. The change takes effect when ready.
Do read receipts work the same way in group chats?
Yes. When read receipts are enabled, you will see checkmarks turn blue for each person in a group chat as they open the message. When you disable read receipts, no one in any group chat will see your read status either.
What if someone has read receipts on but I have them off?
You will not see their read receipts because you have the feature disabled. They will not see yours either. Read receipts only work when both people have the feature turned on — if either person has it disabled, neither person will see the blue checkmarks.