What read receipts are and why you might want to disable them
A read receipt is a notification that tells the person texting you that you have opened and read their message. When read receipts are on, a small "Delivered" label changes to "Read" with a timestamp the moment you open the conversation — even if you do not respond. The other person sees this happen in real time.
Some people turn read receipts off because they want privacy about when they see messages. Others do it to avoid the social pressure of appearing to ignore someone who knows you have read their text. Some turn them off selectively — keeping them on for work contacts and off for friends or family. The choice is yours, and you can change it whenever you want.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts are turned on by default in the Messages app on most iPhones, but you can disable them in Settings under Messages.
- Turning off read receipts prevents others from seeing when you have opened their messages, but you will still see when they read yours if they have receipts on.
- You can turn read receipts off globally for all conversations, or disable them for specific people by blocking or muting them.
- If you turn read receipts back on later, people will start seeing "Read" notifications again when ready — there is no catch-up period.
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 labeled "Send Read Receipts" — it will be blue and switched to the right if it is currently on. Tap the toggle to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray and move to the left.
That is the entire process. Once you do this, no one will see a "Read" notification when you open their messages. They will see "Delivered" instead, which just means the message reached your phone — not that you have opened it.
How to turn off read receipts for one person
If you want to keep read receipts on for most people but hide them from someone specific, you have two options. The first is to mute notifications from that person: open Messages, swipe left on their conversation, tap the speaker icon with a slash through it, and confirm. They will not see your read receipts, and you will not get notifications from them either.
The second option is to block the person entirely. Open their conversation, tap their name at the top, scroll down, and tap "Block this Caller." A blocked contact cannot text you at all, so this is a stronger step than muting. Neither muting nor blocking changes your global read receipt setting — it only affects that one conversation.
What happens when you turn read receipts back on
If you turn read receipts off and later decide you want them back on, go to Settings > Messages and toggle "Send Read Receipts" back to the right. The change takes effect when ready. Anyone who texts you after that moment will see "Read" when you open their messages.
There is no backlog — people will not suddenly see that you read old messages from weeks ago. Read receipts only work going forward from the moment you turn them on.
Why read receipts might not show even when they are on
Sometimes you have read receipts enabled but the other person does not see a "Read" notification. This usually means they have read receipts turned off on their end. Read receipts are two-way: you see theirs only if they have them on, and they see yours only if you have them on. If either person has them disabled, neither person sees read notifications.
Another reason is that the other person is using a non-Apple device. Android phones, for example, do not support Apple's read receipt system. If you text someone with an Android phone, they will not see read receipts from you even if you have them on, because the message is sent over standard SMS or a third-party app rather than iMessage.
The difference between read receipts and typing indicators
Read receipts and typing indicators are separate features. A typing indicator is the three dots that appear when someone is actively composing a message to you. You can turn typing indicators off in the same Settings > Messages menu — look for "Show Typing Indicator." Turning off typing indicators means people will not see the three dots when you are writing to them, but it does not affect read receipts.
Some people turn off both for maximum privacy. Others keep typing indicators on but turn off read receipts, so people know they are typing but not when they have finished reading. The two settings work independently.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I turn off read receipts, can I still see when other people read my messages?
Yes. Your read receipt setting only controls whether others see when you read their messages. If someone else has read receipts on, you will still see "Read" when they open your texts. The two directions work separately.
Do read receipts work in group chats?
Yes, but they show differently. In a group iMessage, you will see each person's name next to "Delivered" or "Read" so you can see who has opened the message and who has not. If you turn off read receipts, your name will not appear in that list for anyone in the group.
What if someone asks why I do not have read receipts on?
You do not owe anyone an explanation. Read receipts are a privacy setting, and turning them off is a normal choice. If someone asks directly, you can say you prefer not to share when you read messages, or straightforward that you like the privacy. Most people understand.
Can I turn read receipts off just for iMessage but keep them on for SMS?
No. The read receipt setting in Settings > Messages applies to all messages — both iMessage and SMS. You cannot split the setting between the two. If you want read receipts for SMS only, you would need to turn them on globally and then mute or block specific iMessage contacts.