How to disable read receipts on WhatsApp
Read receipts are the two blue checkmarks that appear next to your messages when someone has read them. You can turn off read receipts in WhatsApp's settings so that others cannot see when you have opened and read their messages. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use WhatsApp on iPhone or Android, but the setting is in the same place on both.
When you turn off read receipts, the checkmarks will not appear to other people when they message you. However, you will still see read receipts from contacts who have them turned on. This is a one-way setting — it only hides your own read status, not theirs.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts show two blue checkmarks when someone has read your message, and you can hide your own read status by turning off the setting in WhatsApp.
- On iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Read Receipts and toggle it off; on Android, go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Read Receipts and toggle it off.
- Turning off read receipts only hides when you read messages — you will still see when others have read yours if they have receipts turned on.
- Group chats do not show individual read receipts, so this setting only affects one-on-one conversations.
Steps to turn off read receipts on iPhone
Open WhatsApp and tap the Settings icon in the bottom right corner. On some versions of iPhone, this appears as a gear icon. Tap Privacy from the menu that appears.
Look for the option labeled Read Receipts. You will see a toggle switch next to it. Tap the toggle to turn it off. The switch will change color from green to gray, indicating that read receipts are now disabled. You can close the settings menu — the change takes effect immediately.
Steps to turn off read receipts on Android
Open WhatsApp and tap the three vertical dots (menu icon) in the top right corner. Tap Settings from the dropdown menu. Tap Account, then tap Privacy.
Find the option labeled Read Receipts and tap the toggle switch next to it to turn it off. The switch will change color from blue to gray. Close the settings menu and the change will be active right away. On some Android phones, the menu structure may vary slightly, but Privacy settings are always found under Account.
What happens when you turn off read receipts
When read receipts are off, people who message you will see one gray checkmark when the message reaches WhatsApp's servers, but they will not see the two blue checkmarks that normally appear when you open and read the message. This means they cannot tell whether you have seen their message or not.
The person messaging you may wonder if you have read their message or simply have not responded yet. Some people find this creates confusion, so consider whether turning off read receipts is worth the trade-off. You can turn the setting back on at any time by following the same steps and toggling it on again.
Read receipts still work in group chats
Group chats do not display individual read receipts, so turning off this setting does not affect how group messages appear. In a group conversation, you will see checkmarks next to your own messages, but WhatsApp does not show which individual group members have read the message. This is true whether read receipts are on or off.
If you want to hide your read status in one-on-one chats but are concerned about group conversations, you do not need to worry — the setting only changes how your status appears in direct messages.
You will still see when others have read your messages
Turning off read receipts is a one-way change. When you disable the setting, you hide your own read status from others, but you will still see the two blue checkmarks when someone who has read receipts turned on opens your messages. Their setting does not change based on yours.
If you want to know whether someone has read your message, you can still see it if they have not disabled read receipts on their end. The setting only works in one direction — it prevents others from seeing your read status, not the other way around.
Turn read receipts back on if you change your mind
If you decide you want to turn read receipts back on, follow the same steps you used to turn them off and toggle the setting back to on. The change takes effect immediately, and people will start seeing the blue checkmarks again when they message you.
You can switch read receipts on and off as many times as you want. There is no limit to how often you can change this setting, and no one will be notified that you have changed it. The setting is private to your account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I turned off read receipts?
No. WhatsApp does not notify anyone when you change your read receipts setting. People will simply stop seeing the blue checkmarks when they message you, but they will not receive a notification that you have disabled the feature.
Can I turn off read receipts for just one person?
No. The read receipts setting applies to all of your one-on-one conversations at once. You cannot disable read receipts for one contact while keeping them on for another. The setting is all or nothing.
Do read receipts work differently on WhatsApp Web?
No. If you have read receipts turned off in the WhatsApp app on your phone, they will also be off when you use WhatsApp Web on a computer. The setting syncs across all devices where you use WhatsApp.
What if someone has me blocked — can they still see my read receipts?
No. If someone has blocked you, they cannot see your messages at all, so read receipts do not apply. Blocking prevents all message delivery and status visibility between the two accounts.
Does turning off read receipts affect message delivery?
No. Your messages will still be delivered normally and will still show the single gray checkmark when they reach WhatsApp's servers. Turning off read receipts only hides the second blue checkmark that appears when you read incoming messages.