How to disable read receipts in Messages
Read receipts are the small "Delivered" and "Read" notifications that tell other people when you've opened their text messages. On iPhone, you can turn these off so others won't see when you've read their messages. The setting is in the Messages app itself, not in your general iPhone settings.
Open the Messages app, then tap Settings at the bottom of the screen (or go to Settings > Apps > Messages if you're using an older iOS version). Look for "Send Read Receipts" and toggle it off. Once you do this, people who text you won't see a "Read" notification when you open their messages.
This change applies to all your text conversations at once. You can't turn read receipts off for just one person — it's an all-or-nothing setting. If you turn it back on later, everyone will start seeing your read receipts again immediately.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts show other people when you've opened and read their text messages, and you can turn them off in the Messages app settings.
- The setting is called "Send Read Receipts" and toggling it off stops all read notifications from going to everyone who texts you.
- Turning off read receipts does not affect delivery notifications — people will still see "Delivered" when their message reaches your phone.
- You cannot disable read receipts for individual conversations; the setting controls all your messages at the same time.
- If you turn read receipts back on, the change takes effect immediately for all future messages.
What read receipts actually show
When read receipts are on, the person texting you sees two different statuses. "Delivered" appears as soon as your phone receives the message, even if you haven't opened it yet. "Read" appears only after you actually open the Messages app and view the conversation.
This is different from other messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, which show similar features but work slightly differently. On iPhone's native Messages app, the read receipt is a simple line of text that says "Read" followed by a timestamp showing exactly when you opened the message.
Some people find read receipts useful because they know their message was actually seen. Others feel pressured to respond quickly once someone knows they've read the message. Turning them off gives you privacy about when you actually look at your texts.
Why you might want to turn read receipts off
The main reason people disable read receipts is to avoid the expectation of an immediate response. If someone can see you've read their message, they might assume you're ignoring them if you don't reply right away. Without read receipts, they only know the message was delivered, not that you've seen it.
Read receipts can also feel intrusive in certain relationships. You might not want your boss, parent, or partner to know the exact moment you read their message, especially if you need time to think before responding. Turning them off removes that layer of visibility.
Some people simply prefer the privacy. Even though read receipts are optional, many feel social pressure to respond quickly once someone knows they've read a message. Disabling them removes that pressure entirely.
The difference between read receipts and delivery notifications
Delivery notifications and read receipts are two separate things, and turning off read receipts does not affect delivery. When you disable read receipts, people will still see "Delivered" when their message reaches your iPhone. They just won't see the "Read" notification when you open it.
If you want to hide both delivery and read status, you would need to turn off read receipts and also disable "Send as SMS" in certain situations, though this gets more complicated. For most people, turning off read receipts alone is enough to get the privacy they want while still letting people know their message arrived.
How to check if someone else has read receipts on
When you text someone, you'll see "Delivered" for everyone. If you see "Read" with a timestamp, that person has read receipts turned on. If you only ever see "Delivered" and never "Read," they've either turned off read receipts or they haven't opened the message yet.
There's no way to tell the difference between someone who has read receipts off and someone who simply hasn't opened your message. This is actually why some people turn read receipts off — they don't want others to assume they're ignoring messages just because they haven't responded yet.
What happens in group messages
In group text conversations, read receipts work differently than in one-on-one messages. When read receipts are on, you'll see a list showing which people in the group have read the message and when. If you turn off read receipts, you won't send that information to the group, but you'll still see when others have read messages if they have read receipts turned on.
This can create a mixed situation where some people in a group have read receipts on and others don't. You might see "Read" from some group members but not others. Turning off your own read receipts only controls what information you send out — it doesn't change what you see from other people.
Turning read receipts back on if you change your mind
If you decide later that you want read receipts back on, the process is identical. Open Messages, tap Settings, find "Send Read Receipts," and toggle it back on. The change takes effect immediately, and people will start seeing your read receipts again with their next message.
You don't need to notify anyone or do anything special. Once it's on, the next time someone texts you and you open the message, they'll see the "Read" notification. There's no delay or confirmation needed — it's an instant change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I turned off read receipts?
No. People will simply stop seeing "Read" notifications from you, but they won't receive a message saying you've disabled them. They might notice over time that you never show read receipts, but there's no notification that tells them you've turned the feature off.
Can I turn off read receipts for just one person?
No. The read receipts setting applies to all your conversations at once. You cannot disable read receipts for individual contacts or group chats. If you need privacy from one specific person, you would have to turn off read receipts for everyone.
Does turning off read receipts affect iMessage and regular text messages differently?
Read receipts only work with iMessage, which is Apple's messaging service for iPhone-to-iPhone communication. Regular SMS text messages (to Android phones or older devices) don't support read receipts at all, so the setting doesn't affect them. You'll never see or send read receipts on regular texts.
What if I turn off read receipts but someone else has them on?
You'll still see their read receipts when they read your messages. The setting only controls what you send out, not what you receive. If they have read receipts on, you'll see when they read your messages even if you have yours turned off.
Do read receipts work on iPad and Mac?
Yes. If you use Messages on iPad or Mac, the same read receipts setting applies across all your Apple devices. Turning it off on iPhone also turns it off on your other devices, and vice versa. The setting syncs through your Apple account.