What read receipts do and where to find the setting
Read receipts let the other person know when you have opened and read their message in the Messages app. When you turn this on, a small "Read" label with a timestamp appears under their message after you open it. The person texting you sees this label in real time — they know the moment you read what they sent.
The setting lives in your iPhone's main Settings app, not in Messages itself. You control whether your read receipts turn on or off, and you can change it whenever you want. Turning it on does not affect how you receive messages or how fast they arrive — it only changes what information you send back to the other person.
Read receipts work only in the Messages app with other iPhone, iPad, or Mac users. Android phones and older devices do not support this feature, so the label will not appear if you message someone on those devices.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts show the other person a "Read" timestamp the moment you open their message in the Messages app.
- The setting is in Settings > Messages > Send Read Receipts, and you toggle it on or off with a single switch.
- Read receipts work only between Apple devices — Android users and non-Apple phones will not see them.
- You can turn read receipts on or off at any time, and the change takes effect when ready for new messages.
- Turning off read receipts does not prevent you from receiving messages or affect how conversations work otherwise.
Step-by-step: turning on read receipts
Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Scroll down and tap Messages. Look for the option labeled Send Read Receipts — it appears as a toggle switch that is either gray (off) or green (on).
Tap the toggle to turn it green. That is all you need to do. From that moment forward, whenever someone sends you a message in the Messages app, they will see "Read" with the time stamp as soon as you open the conversation and view their text. If the toggle is already green, read receipts are already on.
The setting applies to all your conversations at once. You cannot turn read receipts on for one person and off for another — it is all or nothing. If you want to hide that you have read a message from a specific person, you will need to turn off read receipts entirely.
What happens when read receipts are on
When you have read receipts enabled, the other person sees "Read" appear under their message in the Messages app. This happens only after you actually open the conversation and view the message — receiving the notification does not count as reading it. If you see a preview of the message on your lock screen or in a notification, that does not trigger the read receipt.
The timestamp shows the exact time you read the message, down to the minute. If someone sends you a message at 2:15 p.m. and you open it at 2:47 p.m., they see "Read 2:47 PM." This can be useful for group chats where multiple people are texting, because everyone can see who has read the latest message and who has not.
Read receipts do not tell the other person what you are doing after you read the message. They only know that you opened and viewed the text — not whether you are typing a reply, whether you have left the conversation, or whether you plan to respond.
When read receipts do not work
Read receipts only work between Apple devices. If you message an Android user, a Windows Phone user, or anyone with a non-Apple device, they will not see a read receipt from you, and you will not see one from them. The Messages app will not show a "Read" label in those conversations no matter what your setting is.
Read receipts also do not work in group messages that include at least one non-Apple device. If a group chat has even one Android user, read receipts are disabled for the entire conversation. This is why some group chats show "Read" labels and others do not.
If someone has turned off read receipts on their end, you will not see when they read your messages. You will see "Delivered" instead, which means the message reached their phone but you have no information about whether they opened it.
Turning read receipts off if you change your mind
Go back to Settings > Messages and tap the Send Read Receipts toggle to turn it gray. Read receipts will turn off when ready. From that point forward, people will see "Delivered" under their messages to you instead of "Read," and they will have no way to know when you actually open their texts.
Turning off read receipts does not delete the old "Read" labels that already appeared in past conversations. Those remain visible in the message history. The change only affects new messages sent to you after you turn the setting off.
You can toggle read receipts on and off as many times as you want. There is no limit to how often you can change the setting, and it takes effect when ready each time.
Why someone might turn read receipts off
Some people turn off read receipts because they do not want others to know they have seen a message. This is useful if you want time to think before responding, or if you prefer not to feel pressured to reply right away. Without read receipts, the other person cannot tell the difference between a message you have not seen yet and one you have read but not answered.
In group chats, read receipts can create social pressure — if everyone can see that you have read the message but have not replied, some people feel obligated to respond quickly. Turning them off removes that visibility.
Read receipts can also be distracting in busy conversations. If you are in a group chat with many people, watching the "Read" labels appear and disappear as everyone opens messages might feel like too much information.
Read receipts on other Apple devices
If you own multiple Apple devices — an iPhone, iPad, and Mac — your read receipts setting syncs across all of them through iCloud. When you turn read receipts on on your iPhone, they are automatically on on your iPad and Mac as well. Turning them off on one device turns them off on all of them.
This means if someone messages you and you read it on your iPad, the read receipt appears on their iPhone even if they sent the message to your phone number. The read receipt comes from your Apple account, not from a specific device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do read receipts work in group chats?
Yes, if everyone in the group uses Apple devices. You will see "Read" labels showing who has opened the message and when. If even one person in the group uses Android or a non-Apple phone, read receipts are disabled for the entire conversation and no one will see them.
Can I turn off read receipts for just one person?
No. The read receipts setting is all or nothing — it applies to every conversation you have. If you want to hide that you have read a message from a specific person, you will need to turn off read receipts entirely, which affects everyone.
What is the difference between "Delivered" and "Read"?
"Delivered" means the message reached the other person's phone but you do not know if they have opened it. "Read" means they have opened the Messages app and viewed your message. If someone has read receipts turned off, you will only see "Delivered" even if they have actually read your text.
If I turn off read receipts, will people know I did that?
No. They will straightforward see "Delivered" instead of "Read" under their messages to you. They have no way to know whether you turned off read receipts or whether you just have not opened the message yet.
Do read receipts work if I have iMessage turned off?
Read receipts only work through iMessage, which is Apple's messaging service. If you have iMessage turned off and are using standard SMS text messages instead, read receipts will not work and the setting will not explore.