What read receipts are and why you might want to disable them
Read receipts are notifications that tell the person texting you when you have opened and read their message. On iPhone, when read receipts are turned on, a small "Delivered" label appears under your message until the recipient opens it, then it changes to "Read" with a timestamp. This happens in the Messages app for texts sent to other iPhone users.
You might want to turn off read receipts for several reasons: you may not want people to know you have seen their message if you are not ready to respond, you might prefer privacy, or you straightforward do not want the pressure of appearing available. Once you disable read receipts, people will no longer see when you have read their messages — though they will still see "Delivered".
The setting applies to all your conversations at once. You cannot turn read receipts off for just one person or one conversation; it is an all-or-nothing choice in your iPhone settings.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts show other people when you have opened and read their text messages in the Messages app.
- You turn off read receipts by going to Settings, then Messages, then scrolling down and toggling off "Send Read Receipts".
- Once disabled, people will see "Delivered" under their messages to you, but not "Read" or the time you opened them.
- The setting affects all your conversations at the same time — you cannot disable read receipts for just one person.
Step-by-step: How to turn off read receipts
Open the Settings app on your iPhone. This is the gray icon with white gears, usually on your home screen or in your app library.
Scroll down and tap Messages. You will see a list of options related to how your text messages work.
Look for the toggle next to Send Read Receipts. It will be green and switched to the right if read receipts are currently on. Tap the toggle to turn it off — it will turn gray and move to the left.
You are done. The change takes effect when ready. The next time someone texts you, they will not see "Read" when you open their message.
What changes when you turn read receipts off
When read receipts are disabled, the person texting you will see "Delivered" under their message, but the label will not change to "Read" when you open it. They will have no way of knowing whether you have seen their message or not — only that it reached your phone.
This does not affect how you see other people's read receipts. If someone else has read receipts turned on, you will still see "Read" under your messages to them. Turning off your own read receipts only stops you from sending that information to others.
Read receipts also do not explore to group messages. In group chats, you will see a list of who has read the message and who has not, regardless of your individual read receipt setting.
How to turn read receipts back on if you change your mind
Follow the same steps: open Settings, tap Messages, and find "Send Read Receipts". Tap the toggle to turn it back on — it will turn green and move to the right.
Once you re-enable read receipts, people will when ready start seeing "Read" labels and timestamps again when you open their messages. There is no delay or confirmation required.
Why some people cannot see your read receipts even if you have them on
Read receipts only work between iPhone users in the Messages app. If you send a text message to an Android phone, the person will not see read receipts from you, even if you have them turned on. Android devices do not support this feature in the same way.
Additionally, if someone has disabled read receipts on their end, you will not see "Read" from them either — even though you have yours turned on. It is a two-way setting: both people need to have read receipts enabled for the feature to work.
Read receipts in group chats work differently
In a group message, read receipts behave differently than in one-on-one conversations. When you open a group message, everyone in the chat can see that you have read it, and you can see who has read it too. This happens regardless of your individual read receipt setting.
If you want to avoid showing that you have read a group message, you would need to disable read receipts before opening the message — but once you have opened it, everyone will see that you have read it. There is no way to hide this in group conversations.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I turn off read receipts, will people know I did it on purpose?
No. People will straightforward see "Delivered" instead of "Read" on their messages to you. They will not receive a notification that you have disabled read receipts, and they will have no way of knowing whether you turned them off or never had them on.
Does turning off read receipts affect iMessage and regular text messages differently?
The "Send Read Receipts" setting in Messages applies to both iMessage (messages sent over data to other iPhone users) and regular SMS text messages. However, read receipts only actually work with iMessage — Android and non-Apple phones do not support them for regular texts.
Can I turn off read receipts for just one person?
No. The read receipt setting is global and applies to all your conversations at once. If you want to hide that you have read a specific person's message, you would need to turn off read receipts entirely, which affects everyone.
What if I accidentally open a message and do not want someone to know I read it?
Once you open a message, there is no way to undo that — the "Read" label will appear if your read receipts are on. The only way to prevent this in the future is to disable read receipts before opening messages from that person, or to use the preview feature to read messages without opening them fully.
Do read receipts work if my phone is in Do Not Disturb mode?
Yes. Do Not Disturb mode silences notifications and calls, but it does not affect read receipts. People will still see "Read" when you open their messages, even if your phone is in Do Not Disturb.