What read receipts do and how to control them

Read receipts are a feature in Apple's Messages app that tells the sender when you've opened their text. When someone sends you a message and you open it, they see "Delivered" change to "Read" along with a timestamp. You can turn this feature on or off in your iPhone settings — it's a per-conversation choice, meaning you can have read receipts on for some people and off for others.

The setting lives in Settings > Messages, not in the Messages app itself. Once you change it, the new setting applies to all future conversations unless you override it for specific people. This guide walks you through where to find the toggle and what happens when you turn it on or off.

Key Takeaways

  • Read receipts are turned on by default on most iPhones, so senders can see when you've read their messages.
  • You can disable read receipts globally in Settings > Messages > Send Read Receipts, which hides your read status from everyone.
  • If you turn off read receipts globally, you can still enable them for specific people by opening a conversation and tapping Details.
  • Turning off read receipts does not prevent people from seeing "Delivered" — it only hides the "Read" status and timestamp.
  • Group messages follow the same read receipt rules as individual conversations.

Turn off read receipts for everyone

Open Settings on your iPhone and scroll down to find Messages. Tap it, then look for the toggle next to "Send Read Receipts." If the toggle is green, read receipts are on. Tap it once to turn it off — the toggle will turn gray.

Once you disable this setting, no one will see "Read" on their messages to you. They'll still see "Delivered," which means the message reached your phone, but they won't know when you actually opened it. This change takes effect immediately for all new messages and all existing conversations.

Turn read receipts back on for specific people

If you've turned off read receipts globally but want one person to see when you read their messages, open a conversation with that person in Messages. Tap their name or number at the top of the screen, then tap the info icon (a circle with an "i" inside). Scroll down and toggle "Send Read Receipts" on for that conversation only.

This override works in both directions — if someone else has read receipts off globally, you won't see their read status even if they turn it on for you individually. The setting only controls what you send out, not what you receive.

Turn read receipts back on for everyone

Go back to Settings > Messages and tap the "Send Read Receipts" toggle again to turn it green. This restores the default behavior where everyone can see when you've read their messages. The change applies to all conversations immediately.

If you had turned on read receipts for specific people while the global setting was off, those individual settings will remain in place even after you turn the global setting back on. You can remove those overrides by going back to each conversation's Details and toggling it off again.

What happens in group messages

Group messages follow the same read receipt rules as one-on-one conversations. If you have read receipts on, everyone in the group sees when you've read the message. If you have them off, no one in the group sees your read status — they only see "Delivered."

You can also control read receipts per group conversation. Open the group chat, tap the group name at the top, then tap the info icon and toggle "Send Read Receipts" on or off just for that group. This is useful if you want to hide your read status from one group but not another.

Read receipts and iMessage versus SMS

Read receipts only work in iMessage, which is Apple's encrypted messaging service. If you send a regular text message (SMS) to someone without an iPhone, read receipts don't apply — they won't see any read status at all, only "Delivered" or nothing.

You can tell whether a conversation is using iMessage or SMS by looking at the message bubble color. iMessage bubbles are blue; SMS bubbles are green. If you're texting someone with an Android phone or a basic phone, your read receipt setting doesn't affect them.

Why you might want to turn read receipts off

Some people turn off read receipts because they don't want others to know they've seen a message but haven't responded yet. This is especially useful if you're busy, need time to think before replying, or simply prefer not to feel pressured to respond immediately. Turning them off removes that social expectation without blocking the person.

Others disable read receipts for privacy reasons — they want to keep their activity patterns private, or they're in a situation where they need to control when people know they're available. There's no technical risk to turning them off; it's purely a preference about what information you share.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see read receipts from other people even if I turn mine off?

Yes. Your read receipt setting only controls what you send out. You'll still see "Read" on messages you send to people who have read receipts turned on. Turning off your own read receipts doesn't change what you can see from others.

What if someone turns off read receipts after I've already seen their messages?

Once they turn off read receipts, you won't see "Read" on any new messages you send them. Messages you already sent before they changed the setting will still show whatever status they had at that time.

Do read receipts work in FaceTime or other Apple apps?

No. Read receipts only work in the Messages app for iMessage and SMS conversations. FaceTime, Mail, and other Apple apps have their own notification systems but don't use the same read receipt feature.

Will someone know I turned off read receipts?

Not directly. They'll notice that you stop showing "Read" status on your messages, but the Messages app doesn't send a notification saying you've disabled the feature. They might assume you turned it off, but there's no way for them to confirm it.

Can I turn off read receipts for just one person?

Not directly — you can only turn them on or off per conversation. If you want to hide your read status from one person, you'd need to turn off read receipts globally, then turn them on for everyone else individually. This is cumbersome, so most people either leave them on for everyone or off for everyone.