What read receipts do and why you might want to turn them off
Read receipts are notifications that tell the person who sent you a message that you have opened and read it. When read receipts are on, a checkmark, timestamp, or "seen" indicator appears next to their message — letting them know you have looked at what they wrote, whether or not you have responded yet.
Many people turn read receipts off because they do not want others to know the exact moment they read a message. You might read something and need time to think before replying, or you might prefer privacy about when you are checking your phone. Turning them off means senders will not see when you have read their messages.
The steps to disable read receipts differ depending on which app or device you use. Most messaging platforms — including text messages, email, and chat apps — have a setting you can toggle on or off in your preferences.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts show the sender when you have opened their message, but you can disable this feature in most apps and messaging services.
- The setting location varies by platform: text messages, email, iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger each have their own toggle.
- Turning off read receipts on your device does not prevent you from seeing read receipts when others send them to you — those are two separate settings.
- Some apps let you turn off read receipts for all conversations at once, while others require you to disable them per conversation or per contact.
How to turn off read receipts on iPhone and iPad
On an iPhone or iPad, the process depends on which messaging app you use. For iMessage (Apple's built-in texting app), open Settings, scroll down and tap Messages, then toggle off "Send Read Receipts." This stops your device from sending read receipts to anyone who texts you through iMessage.
For email on iPhone, open Settings, tap Mail, scroll to the bottom, and look for "Request Read Receipt" — make sure this is toggled off. If you use WhatsApp, open the app, tap Settings (the gear icon at the bottom right), go to Privacy, and toggle off "Read Receipts." For Facebook Messenger, open the app, tap your profile icon, scroll to Privacy, and turn off read receipts there.
Keep in mind that disabling read receipts on your phone does not affect whether you can see read receipts from other people. If someone sends you a message and has read receipts enabled on their end, you will still see when they read your replies.
How to turn off read receipts on Android
Android devices handle read receipts through individual apps rather than a system-wide setting. Open the messaging app you use most — this might be Google Messages, Samsung Messages, WhatsApp, or another service — and look for Settings or Preferences.
In Google Messages, tap your profile icon in the top left, go to Advanced, and toggle off "Send read receipts." In WhatsApp, tap the three dots in the top right corner, select Settings, go to Privacy, and turn off read receipts. For other messaging apps, the path is usually Settings or Preferences followed by Privacy or Notifications, where you will find a read receipt toggle.
Some Android phones also allow you to disable read receipts for standard SMS text messages through your default messaging app's settings, though this option is less common than it is on iPhone.
How to turn off read receipts in email
Email read receipts work differently than text message read receipts. When you send an email, you can request a read receipt, which asks the recipient's email client to send you a notification when they open your message. To stop sending these requests, you need to change your email settings.
In Gmail, compose a new email, click the three dots at the bottom, and look for "Request read receipt" — leave this unchecked. In Outlook on the web, click Settings (the gear icon), go to Mail, then Compose and reply, and toggle off "Request a read receipt for messages I send." On Outlook desktop, open a new email, click File, select Properties, and uncheck "Request a Read Receipt."
If you receive a read receipt request from someone else, you can usually choose whether to send them a receipt or not. Your email client will prompt you when you open their message.
How to turn off read receipts on Windows and Mac
On a Windows computer, the steps depend on which app you use. For Outlook, open a new email, click File, go to Properties, and uncheck "Request a Read Receipt." For Teams, click your profile picture in the top right, select Settings, go to Privacy, and toggle off read receipts. For Discord, click the gear icon next to your username, go to Privacy and Safety, and turn off read receipts.
On a Mac, the process is similar. In Mail, go to Mail in the menu bar, select Preferences, click Viewing, and uncheck "Display read receipts." In Messages, go to Messages in the menu bar, select Preferences, click Accounts, select your account, and uncheck "Send read receipts."
If you use a web-based email service like Gmail or Outlook.com, you can disable read receipt requests through your browser settings as described in the email section above.
What happens when you turn off read receipts
When you disable read receipts, people who message you will no longer see a notification that you have read their message. Instead, they will only see that their message was delivered. This does not mean they cannot tell you have seen their message through other means — if you reply to them, they will obviously know you read it.
Turning off read receipts is a one-way change. If someone else has read receipts enabled, you will still see when they read your messages. The setting only controls what information your device sends out, not what information you receive from others.
Some group chats or work messaging platforms may override your personal read receipt settings. For example, in some versions of Slack or Microsoft Teams, administrators can require read receipts for all users. If you are in a workplace or group that has this policy, you may not be able to disable read receipts entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I turned off read receipts?
No. When read receipts are off, senders will straightforward not see a "read" indicator — they will not receive a message saying you disabled the feature. They may notice over time that you never show read receipts, but there is no notification that tells them you turned it off.
Can I turn off read receipts for just one person?
Most messaging apps do not offer a per-contact setting for read receipts. You typically turn the feature on or off for all conversations at once. However, some apps like WhatsApp let you disable read receipts in group chats separately from one-on-one chats through their privacy settings.
If I turn off read receipts, can I still see when others read my messages?
Yes. Your read receipt setting only controls whether you send read receipts to others. It does not affect whether you can see read receipts from people who message you. If someone has read receipts enabled, you will still see when they read your messages.
Do I need to turn off read receipts in every app separately?
Yes, in most cases. There is no system-wide setting that disables read receipts across all apps at once. You will need to go into each messaging app or email client and toggle off read receipts individually.
What if my workplace requires read receipts?
Some organizations use messaging platforms like Slack or Teams with read receipt policies set by administrators. If your workplace has this requirement, you may not be able to disable read receipts for work messages, even if you turn them off in your personal settings.