Read receipts let your contacts know when you've seen their messages

Read receipts are a feature that tells people when you've opened and read their messages in the Messages app. When you turn them on, a small "Delivered" label changes to "Read" with a timestamp after someone's message. This works for both regular text messages and iMessages (messages sent over data or Wi-Fi to other Apple devices).

The setting lives in your iPhone's main Settings app, not in Messages itself. Once you turn it on, read receipts apply to all your conversations unless you turn them off again. You can also control read receipts on a per-conversation basis if you want to hide them from specific people.

Key Takeaways

  • Read receipts are turned on through Settings > Messages > Send Read Receipts, and the toggle must be switched to green.
  • When read receipts are on, everyone who messages you will see "Read" with a timestamp when you open their messages.
  • You can hide read receipts from individual people by opening a conversation, tapping their name at the top, and toggling off "Send Read Receipts" for that thread.
  • Read receipts only work for iMessages and some text messages; older SMS messages may not show read status.

Steps to turn on read receipts in Settings

Open the Settings app on your iPhone and scroll down until you see Messages. Tap it to open the Messages settings page.

Look for the option labeled "Send Read Receipts" — it appears as a toggle switch. If the toggle is gray, read receipts are currently off. Tap the toggle to turn it green, which means read receipts are now on. You'll see the switch move to the right and change color when it activates.

Close Settings or go back to your home screen. The change takes effect immediately. The next time someone sends you a message, they'll see "Read" instead of "Delivered" when you open it.

How to hide read receipts from specific people

If you want read receipts on overall but don't want certain people to see when you've read their messages, you can turn them off for individual conversations. Open the Messages app and find the conversation with the person you want to hide read receipts from.

Tap their name or phone number at the top of the conversation thread. A details panel will slide up from the bottom showing options for that conversation. Look for "Send Read Receipts" and tap the toggle to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray, meaning that person won't see when you've read their messages anymore.

You can repeat this for as many conversations as you want. Each conversation's read receipt setting is independent, so you might have read receipts on for most people but off for your boss or a family member.

What happens when read receipts are on

When someone sends you a message and you open it, they'll see "Read" appear below their message with the time you opened it. This applies to iMessages (the blue message bubbles) and some text messages, depending on your carrier and their phone type.

The person sending the message will see the read status update in real time as you're looking at the conversation. If you read a message at 2:15 PM, they'll see "Read 2:15 PM" appear on their end. This can be useful for confirming someone got your message, but it also means people know you've seen what they sent and haven't replied yet.

What happens when read receipts are off

If read receipts are turned off, people will only see "Delivered" under their messages. They won't know whether you've actually opened and read what they sent. The message reaches your phone, but they have no way to confirm you've seen it unless you reply.

Turning off read receipts doesn't prevent you from receiving messages or using Messages normally — it just hides your read status from others. You'll still see "Read" under messages you receive from people who have read receipts turned on, so you can tell when they've seen your messages.

Read receipts and different message types

Read receipts work most reliably with iMessages, which are messages sent between Apple devices over Wi-Fi or cellular data. These appear as blue message bubbles in the Messages app. When you read an iMessage, the sender sees "Read" immediately.

Regular text messages (SMS) appear as green bubbles and may not show read receipts depending on your carrier and the recipient's phone. Some carriers support read receipts for SMS, but many don't. If you're messaging someone with an Android phone or an older device, they may not see read receipts even if you have them turned on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off read receipts just for one person?

Yes. Open that conversation, tap their name at the top, and toggle off "Send Read Receipts" for that thread only. Everyone else will still see when you read their messages if read receipts are on in your main settings.

Will turning off read receipts affect messages I've already sent?

No. Turning read receipts off only affects messages people send you going forward. Messages you've already received won't change, and people won't lose the read status they already saw from you.

Do read receipts work with group messages?

Yes, read receipts work in group chats the same way they do in one-on-one conversations. Everyone in the group will see "Read" with a timestamp when you open the group message, unless you've turned off read receipts for that specific group conversation.

What if someone has read receipts off but I have them on?

You'll still see "Read" under their messages if they have read receipts on. Read receipt settings are independent — your setting controls what you show others, and their setting controls what they show you. You won't see their read status if they have it turned off.