Where to find read receipts on Android
Read receipts on Android work differently depending on which messaging app you use. The most common apps — Google Messages, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Samsung Messages — each have their own settings. Google Messages, which comes pre-installed on most Android phones, lets you turn off read receipts in Settings > Advanced > Show read receipts. WhatsApp has the same toggle under Settings > Privacy > Read receipts. Facebook Messenger and Samsung Messages follow similar patterns, with privacy controls buried one or two menus deep.
The reason read receipts are scattered across different apps is that each one controls its own notification system. Your phone's operating system does not manage read receipts centrally. This means you cannot turn them all off at once — you have to visit each app individually if you use more than one messaging service.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts are controlled by individual messaging apps, not by Android itself, so you must change the setting in each app separately.
- Google Messages, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Samsung Messages all have read receipt toggles in their Settings or Privacy menus.
- Turning off read receipts means other people will not see when you have opened their messages, but you will still see theirs if they have not disabled it.
- Some apps let you disable read receipts only for certain contacts or groups rather than turning them off entirely.
How to disable read receipts in Google Messages
Open Google Messages and tap the three-line menu icon in the top left corner. Select Settings, then scroll down and tap Advanced. Look for the option labeled "Show read receipts" and toggle it off. Once you do this, people who message you through Google Messages will no longer see a checkmark or notification that you have read their message.
If you do not see this option, your version of Google Messages may be outdated. Open the Google Play Store, search for Google Messages, and tap Update if an update is available. The read receipt setting was added in later versions of the app, so updating usually makes it appear.
How to disable read receipts in WhatsApp
Open WhatsApp and tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner. Select Settings, then tap Privacy. You will see three checkmark options: one checkmark means sent, two checkmarks mean delivered, and two blue checkmarks mean read. Tap the "Read receipts" toggle to turn it off. When you disable this, others will see two gray checkmarks when you read their message instead of two blue ones.
Keep in mind that turning off read receipts in WhatsApp is a one-way change. You will still see blue checkmarks when other people read your messages — unless they have also disabled read receipts on their end. There is no way to hide the fact that you have read a message from someone who has read receipts enabled.
How to disable read receipts in Facebook Messenger
Open Facebook Messenger and tap your profile picture in the top left corner. Scroll down and select Settings & Privacy, then tap Settings. Look for the Notifications section and tap Message Notifications. Scroll to find "Read receipts" and toggle it off. This prevents others from seeing the "Seen" label under their messages to you.
Facebook Messenger also offers a related option called "Typing indicators." If you want to hide the fact that you are typing a response, you can disable that in the same menu. Both settings work independently, so you can turn off read receipts but keep typing indicators on, or vice versa.
How to disable read receipts in Samsung Messages
Open Samsung Messages and tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right. Select Settings, then tap More settings. Tap Delivery reports and toggle off "Request delivery reports" and "Request read receipts." Some versions of Samsung Messages combine these into a single toggle, while others keep them separate. Either way, disabling both prevents the app from sending read confirmations to the people who message you.
Samsung Messages is the default texting app on most Samsung phones, but it only works for SMS and MMS messages, not internet-based messaging. If you use Samsung Messages for text messages and WhatsApp or Google Messages for other conversations, you will need to adjust settings in all three apps to fully disable read receipts across your phone.
What happens when you turn off read receipts
When you disable read receipts, people who send you messages will not know whether you have opened and read what they wrote. They will see that the message was delivered, but there will be no indicator showing that you have viewed it. This applies to all messages sent to you after you change the setting — it does not hide the fact that you read old messages.
Turning off read receipts does not prevent people from knowing you are active on the app. If you have an "active now" or "last seen" indicator enabled, people can still tell when you were last using the app, even if they cannot see that you read their specific message. To hide your activity status completely, you will need to disable that setting as well, which is usually in the same Privacy menu as read receipts.
Disabling read receipts for specific contacts
Some messaging apps let you turn off read receipts for individual people or groups instead of disabling them globally. WhatsApp does not offer per-contact read receipt control, but you can mute notifications from specific people so you are not pressured to respond quickly. Facebook Messenger lets you disable read receipts for group chats separately from one-on-one conversations by adjusting settings within each chat.
If you want to hide read receipts from one person but show them to everyone else, your best option is to use a separate messaging app for that person. For example, you could use Google Messages for most contacts and WhatsApp for the person you want to keep in the dark about your read status. This is more complicated than a single setting, but it gives you the most control over who sees what.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I turned off read receipts?
No. When you disable read receipts, people simply will not see a read indicator on their messages. They may notice over time that you never show a read status, but the app will not notify them that you have turned off the feature. Some people might assume you have not read their message, so disabling read receipts can sometimes make conversations feel slower.
Can I turn off read receipts for text messages but not internet messages?
Yes, if you use different apps for each type. Google Messages and Samsung Messages handle SMS and MMS text messages, while WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger use internet data. You can disable read receipts in the text message app and leave them on in the internet apps, or vice versa. This gives you control over which contacts see your read status depending on how they reach you.
Does turning off read receipts hide my typing indicator?
No. Read receipts and typing indicators are separate settings. Disabling read receipts only hides whether you have opened a message. To hide the fact that you are typing a response, you need to find and disable the typing indicator setting in the same app. Most messaging apps have both toggles in their Privacy or Notifications menu.
What if I turn off read receipts but the other person has not?
You will still see their read status on your messages. Read receipts are one-way — they only hide information from the people who message you, not from the people you message. If you want to avoid seeing when others have read your messages, you would need to stop looking at the read status indicator, since there is no setting to hide it from your view.
Do I need to restart my phone after changing read receipt settings?
No. Changes to read receipt settings take effect immediately in most messaging apps. If you turn off read receipts and then send a message, the recipient will not see a read indicator. If the change does not seem to work right away, try closing and reopening the app, but a full phone restart is not necessary.