How to turn off read receipts in iMessage

iOS users may notice how iMessage, by default, shows the sender a timestamp when the recipient has read their message. This feature can be useful at times, but some people may find it distracting. If you are looking for ways to turn off read receipts in the iMessage app, you have come to the right place.

Fortunately, doing so is a relatively simple task. Apple offers the option to turn off read receipts for all contacts or even just an inpidual contact. This article will explain how to turn off read receipts on iOS and Mac devices.

SMS vs iMessage

The iOS and Mac messaging app can send and receive two types of messages:

• SMS messages: These are delivered through your standard network operator and charged according to your plan. The SMS message is represented by a green text bubble and can be sent to anyone, regardless of device.

  

• iMessages: iMessages are instant messages that you send using your data or Wi-Fi connection. To send an iMessage, both the sender and recipient must use a Mac or iOS device. In iMessage, you can see when the sender writes the message and when they have read it. These messages appear in a blue text bubble.

  

How to turn off read receipts in iMessage for everyone?

Here’s how to turn off read receipts on all devices, starting with Mac:

Completely disable iMessage read receipts on a Mac

The new macOS X Messages app has the iMessage protocol. Turning read receipts on and off is relatively easy and follows a few simple steps. You can also turn off these settings for all contacts or for some people, just like you can with an iPhone. The screenshots below show MacOS Sierra, but the instructions are similar for newer versions as well.

Note: If you use the iMessage app on multiple devices (iPhone and Mac), you must disable read receipts on each device.

Follow the steps below to turn off read receipts on Mac for all contacts:

1. Launch the Messages app on your Mac.

   

2. Select Messages from the Apple menu.

   

3. Click on the preferences option.

   

4. Once in the preferencesgo to Accounts tab and click on your iMessage account in the left sidebar.

   

5. If enabled, disable the Send read receipts box.

   

6. Get out of Preference window.

   

You have now disabled read receipts on your Mac for all contacts.

Turn off iMessage read receipts for everyone on an iOS device

To turn off read receipts for everyone on your iPhone or iPad, you’ll need to use the Settings app. Below are the steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

   

2. Scroll down and open the Messages file.

   

3. Play the Send read receipts switch to deactivate the function. The button should be white once turned off.

   

You have now disabled read receipts for your iMessages.

Turn off iMessage read receipts for inpidual contacts

Turn off iMessage read receipts for inpiduals on Mac

You can enable and disable per-message read receipts in macOS Sierra.

1. Launch the Messages app on your Mac.

   

2. Go to the chat you want to turn off read receipts for and click the Details option in the upper right corner of the chat window.

   

3. Uncheck the Sfinish Read receipts box.

   

Note: If the box next to Send read receipts Whether you choose to check or not depends on your global read receipts settings (see the “Turn off iMessage read receipts for everyone” section above).

Turn off iMessage read receipts for inpiduals on iOS

iOS 10 and later allow you to turn message read receipts on and off for inpidual contacts.

1. Start the Message app on your iPhone or iPad.

   

2. Open a message thread in Messages (any thread will do) and tap the Yo in the upper right corner of the interface.

   

3. Take a look at Send read receipts section. To disable read receipts for a specific contact, the button must be disabled.

   

You have now disabled read receipts for inpidual contacts on your iPhone.

When you text people after turning off read receipts, they will see a Delivered status to know that your message has reached you. If your data connection is turned off, you will see the Sent been next to the message as usual. However, there will be no way for them to know if you have actually read the message.

Please note that there could be potential disadvantages to enabling global read receipts while disabling inpidual chats. Whenever you add a new contact to your mobile device, read receipts will be enabled by default if the contact is an iPhone user.

To avoid this situation, it may be best to change the global read receipt button in the Settings app. This will prevent everyone from receiving these types of notifications, even new contacts. You can then re-enable the setting inpidually for the contacts you want.

Additional FAQs

Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about read receipts in the iMessage app.

What happens when you turn off iMessage read receipts?

The default setting of the iMessage app sends a Read receipt to the sender for each message read by the recipient. When you turn off iMessage read receipts, the sender can no longer know if you opened their message. instead of seeing the Read receipt, now it will say Delivered next to these messages.

There is no way for the sender to reactivate the Read receipt from you.

How do you know if someone has disabled your read receipts?

There is no notification or sign telling you that your contact has disabled this setting. Instead, you’ll have to find out by the way they respond to your messages. You just need to look at your chat history and find the last unanswered message you sent to your contact. If you don’t see the Read The receipt below the message and the two checkmarks below the message are still gray, most likely meaning that the contact has disabled this setting.

Also, if the last message you sent has a Delivered status, and you receive a new message from that person without the previous text indicating that it has been Readis another sign that they have disabled read receipts.

Why would anyone disable their read receipts?

There are more than a few reasons why someone may want to disable read receipts in iMessage or any other messaging platform:

1. Your contacts won’t think you’re ignoring them on purpose.

There may be times when you read a message but don’t feel like replying to it at that particular moment. The recipient will still see a Read been next to your message, which could make them think they are being intentionally ignored. Hiding the read receipt can help make it appear that you haven’t read the message yet.

2. People can assume how much time and effort you put into the response.

Sometimes when you read a message, you need to reflect on it, analyze all the content and only then are you finally ready to respond. Many text messages, most of the time, are not that important and may not require much thought. But by hiding the read receipt, you won’t make it obvious that you took all that time to craft the correct answer.

3. Live without time stamps

We remain obsessed with punctuality wherever we go. You might want to give yourself a break and not keep track of how long it takes someone to respond to your messages. Read receipts can even become a source of anxiety for some people, especially if they see that their message was read but not responded to quickly. Turning off these notifications can make your life (and the sender’s) a little less stressful.

Read receipts off, privacy on

Turning off read receipts will take the pressure off of having to respond to messages immediately and give you back some of your privacy. If, on the other hand, you prefer to have these settings on most of the time, you can always disable them temporarily or disable them only for inpidual contacts.

Whether you’re an iPhone, Mac, or iPad user, you now have full control over your read receipt settings in the Messaging app. Just remember to apply them to each device you use iMessage on.

Do you prefer to turn off iMessage read receipts for everyone or just inpidual contacts? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.