iOS users may have noticed that, by default, iMessage shows the sender a timestamp when the recipient has read their message. Sometimes this feature is useful, but some people might find it annoying. You’ve come to the proper place if you want to know how to turn off read receipts in the iMessage app.
The good news is that it’s rather effortless to do so. Apple lets you turn off read receipts for all your contacts or just for some of them. This manual will show you how to turn off read receipts on iOS and Mac devices.
SMS vs iMessage
The chat app for iOS and Mac can send and receive two types of messages:
- SMS Messages: are delivered through your regular network provider and cost money based on your plan. The green text bubble shows the SMS message, which can be sent to anyone on any device.
- iMessages: is the instant message you can send using your data plan or Wi-Fi. The sender and recipient of an iMessage must be utilizing a Mac or an iOS device. You can notice when the sender types the message and when they read it on iMessage. These messages show in a blue bubble.
How to Turn Off Read Receipts on iMessage for Everyone?
Here’s how to turn off read receipts on all devices, starting with a Mac:
Turning Off iMessage Read Receipts Completely on a Mac
The iMessage system is part of the more recent macOS X Messages app. Turning on and off read receipts is pretty simple and only takes a few steps. You can also disable these settings for some or all of your contacts, like on an iPhone. The screenshots below display the MacOS Sierra, but the steps are the same for higher versions.
Note: If you utilize the iMessage app on numerous devices (an iPhone and a Mac), you must disable read receipts on each device.
Disable read receipts for all contacts on a Mac by following the instructions below:
- Then, on your Mac, open the Messages app.
- From the Apple menu, choose Messages.
- Click on the choice that says Preferences.
- Head to the Accounts tab in Preferences, then click on your iMessage account in the left window.
- Disable Send Read Receipts if it is enabled.
- Close the window for preferences.
You have now chosen to disable read receipts for all contacts on your Mac.
Turning Off iMessage Read Receipts for Everyone on an iOS Device
On your iPhone or iPad, you must use the Settings app to disable read receipts for everyone. Here are the full steps:
- First, on your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app.
- Please scroll down to the Messages folder, then open it.
- To turn off this feature, tap the Send Read Receipts switch. When the button is turned off, it should be white.
You have now turned off read receipts for your iMessages.
Turn Off iMessage Read Receipts for Individual Contacts
Turning Off iMessage Read Receipts for Individuals on Mac
On macOS Sierra, you can enable or disable read receipts per message.
- On your Mac, open the Messages app.
- Go to the chat you want to disable. Then, read the receipts and click the Details button in the top right corner of the chat window.
- Uncheck the box that says Send Read Receipts.
Note: Whether or not the box next to “Send Read Receipts” is checked depends on how read receipts are set up globally (see “Turn off iMessage Read Receipts for Everyone” above for more information).
Turning Off iMessage Read Receipts for Individuals on iOS
The message-read receipts for specific contacts can be turned on and off in iOS 10 and later.
- Open the Messages app on your iPad or iPhone.
- Open a message thread in Messages—it doesn’t matter which one—and tap the “i” button in the upper right part of the screen.
- Check out the part on Send Read Receipts. You can turn off the button to stop getting read receipts for a certain contact.
You have now rotated off the read receipts switch for specific contacts on your iPhone.
When you text people after turning off read receipts, they will see a state that says “Delivered,” so they know their message has reached you. Even if your data link is off, they will still see the ” Sent ” status next to the message. But they won’t be able to tell if you’ve read the message.
Remember that there could be problems if you turn on the setting for a global read receipt while turning off individual chats. If the contact is an iPhone user, the read time will be enabled by default whenever you add a new contact to your phone.
You should switch the global read receipt button in the Settings app to avoid this. This will stop everyone, even new contacts, from getting these notifications. The settings for the contacts you want can then be turned back on separately.
Additional FAQs
Here are some answers to questions often asked about the read receipts in the iMessage app.
What Happens When You Turn Off iMessage Read Receipts?
The default settings for the iMessage app transmit a Read receipt to the sender for every note the recipient reads. When you turn off iMessage, read receipts. The sender can’t tell if you opened their message. Instead of a Read notice, these messages will now say Delivered.
The sender can’t turn the Read receipt back on from their end.
How to Tell if Someone Turned Off Their Read Receipts?
No sign or message tells you this setting has been turned off by your contact. You’ll have to figure it out from how they answer your messages. Just look at your chat history and find the last message you sent to your contact that didn’t get a reply. If you don’t see the Read receipt beneath the message and the two checkmarks beneath the message are still gray, the contact has likely turned off this setting.
Also, if the last message you sent has a status of Delivered and you receive a new message from someone without the previous text showing it has been Read, it’s a sign that they have turned off read receipts.
Why Would Someone Turn Off Their Read Receipts?
There are more than a few explanations why someone might want to turn off read receipts on iMessage or any other texting platform:
1. Your Contacts Won’t Think You’re Purposely Ignoring Them
There may be times when you read a message but want to wait to answer it. Even though the message has been read, the recipient will still see “Read” next to it, which might make them think they are being ignored on purpose. By hiding the read ticket, you can make it look like you still need to read their message.
2. People Can Assume How Much Time and Effort You Put Into the Reply
When you read a message, sometimes you need time to think about it and figure out what it’s all about before you’re ready to reply. Most of the time, most text messages aren’t that important and don’t need much thought. By hiding the read receipt, however, you won’t make it clear that you took all that time to write the perfect answer.
3. Live Without Time Stamps
Everywhere we go, we keep worrying about being on time. You should take a break and stop tracking how long someone answers your messages. Some people may even experience anxiety from reading receipts, particularly if they notice that their message was read but not quickly responded to. Turning off these notifications can make your life (and the life of the sender) a little less stressful.
Read Receipts Off, Privacy On
If you turn off read receipts, you won’t have to reply to messages immediately, and you’ll regain some of your privacy. If, on the other hand, you would instead have these settings on most of the time, you can always disable them briefly or just for certain contacts.
You now have full power over your read receipt settings in the messaging app, whether you use an iPhone, Mac, or iPad. Just make sure to add them to each device you use iMessage on.
Do you prefer to turn off iMessage read receipts for all contacts or just for certain ones? Please inform us what you think about the area below.