Where to find the read receipts setting
Read receipts are turned off in the Messages app settings on your iPhone. Open Settings, scroll down and tap Messages, then look for the Send Read Receipts toggle. When the toggle is gray (off), people won't see that you've read their messages.
This setting applies to all your text conversations at once — you can't turn read receipts off for just one person or one chat. If you turn it off, nobody will know when you've opened their messages, whether they're using iMessage, SMS, or group chats.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts are controlled in Settings > Messages > Send Read Receipts, and the toggle must be gray to turn them off.
- Turning off read receipts hides the "Delivered" and "Read" status from everyone who texts you, not just specific people.
- Read receipts only work between iPhones using iMessage — SMS text messages to Android phones never show read status regardless of your setting.
- If you turn read receipts off, you also won't see when other people have read your messages unless they have read receipts turned on.
What read receipts actually show
When read receipts are on, the person texting you sees two pieces of information: first "Delivered" (your phone received the message), then "Read" with a timestamp (you opened the message and saw it). These appear below their message in the conversation thread.
This only works in iMessage conversations — the blue message bubbles between iPhones. If you text someone with an Android phone, they'll see "Delivered" but never "Read", no matter what your settings are. That's because SMS text messages (the green bubbles) don't have a read receipt feature built in.
Why you might want to turn them 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. If you're busy or need time to think about what to say, read receipts can create pressure to reply immediately.
Others turn them off for privacy — they prefer not to broadcast their activity or availability. There's no right answer here; it's a personal choice about what feels comfortable to you. Just know that turning them off means you also won't see when people have read your messages, so you might send a follow-up text not realizing they already saw the first one.
How to turn them back on if you change your mind
Go back to Settings > Messages and tap the Send Read Receipts toggle to turn it blue (on). The change takes effect immediately, and people will start seeing "Read" status on your messages right away.
You can switch this setting on and off as many times as you want. There's no limit to how often you change it, and no notification goes to anyone when you do. Some people toggle it based on their schedule — turning it off during work hours and back on in the evening, for example.
Read receipts in group chats
In a group iMessage conversation, read receipts work the same way — if they're on, everyone in the group sees when you've read the message. If they're off, nobody in the group sees your read status, even if some members have read receipts turned on themselves.
This is different from one-on-one chats. Your setting controls what you send out, not what you receive. If someone in a group chat has read receipts on and you have them off, you'll still see when they've read messages, but they won't see when you have. In a group of five people, you might see read receipts from three of them and not from the other two.
What happens with older iPhones or older iOS versions
Read receipts have been a feature since iOS 5, so if you or someone you're texting has an older iPhone, the feature should still work. However, if someone is using an iPhone running iOS 4 or earlier (which is extremely rare now), they won't see read receipts at all.
If you're texting someone and you're not sure whether they can see read receipts, the simplest way to check is to look at their messages. If you see "Read" timestamps under your messages to them, they have read receipts on. If you only ever see "Delivered", they either have read receipts off or they're using an older device that doesn't support the feature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn off read receipts for just one person?
No. The read receipts setting is all-or-nothing on iPhone — it applies to everyone you text. If you want to hide your read status from one specific person, you'd have to turn off read receipts entirely, which hides it from everyone.
If I turn off read receipts, will people think I'm ignoring them?
They might wonder why they don't see a read status, but they won't know for certain that you've turned the feature off. They might assume your phone is off, you don't have service, or you just haven't opened the message yet. There's no notification that tells them you've disabled read receipts.
Do read receipts work with iCloud messages on my Mac or iPad?
Yes. If you have Messages synced across your devices through iCloud, read receipts work the same way. Reading a message on your iPad or Mac will trigger the "Read" status on the sender's iPhone, and vice versa.
What if someone has read receipts on but I have them off?
You'll see "Read" timestamps on their messages to you, but they won't see read status on your messages to them. It's one-way — each person's setting only controls what they send out, not what they receive.