Read receipts are controlled by each messaging app on its own, so there is no single switch that turns them all off. In iMessage you disable them under Settings > Messages. In WhatsApp you turn them off under Settings > Privacy. Other apps keep the setting in their own privacy menus, and a few do not let you hide the seen status at all. This guide walks through the major apps one by one.
Before you start, it helps to know a common trade-off: in many apps, hiding your read receipts also hides everyone else’s receipts from you. If seeing whether your own messages were read matters to you, keep that in mind.
How do I turn off read receipts in iMessage?
On iPhone, iMessage lets you switch receipts off for everyone or for a single conversation.
For everyone:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Messages.
- Turn off the Send Read Receipts toggle.
For one person only:
- Open the conversation in Messages.
- Tap the person’s name or photo at the top.
- Turn off Send Read Receipts for that chat.
The per-person setting overrides the global one, so you can leave receipts on for most people and hide them from a single contact, or the reverse. Because iMessage receipts are set individually by each user, turning yours off does not change whether you can see other people’s receipts.
How do I turn off read receipts in WhatsApp?
WhatsApp uses a single privacy switch that works in both directions.
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
- Tap Privacy, then Read Receipts (on Android the path is the three-dot menu, then Settings, Account, Privacy).
- Turn the Read Receipts toggle off.
Two things are important here. First, when you turn off your read receipts, you will also stop seeing the blue check marks that tell you when others read your messages. Second, the setting only applies to one-on-one chats; in group chats, read receipts stay on no matter what. Voice message receipts also remain visible in some cases.
What about other apps?
Each remaining app handles this differently, so here is a quick reference.
| App | Can you turn receipts off? | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| iMessage | Yes, global or per person | Settings, Messages |
| Yes, one-on-one chats only | Settings, Privacy | |
| Facebook Messenger | No direct off switch | Active status can be hidden |
| Instagram Direct | Limited, varies by account | Settings, Messages and privacy |
| Telegram | Partly, tied to last-seen settings | Settings, Privacy and Security |
Why can I not hide the seen status in Messenger?
Facebook Messenger does not provide a setting to switch read receipts off. The seen indicator on each message is part of how the app works. The nearest workaround is turning off your active status so contacts cannot see when you are online, but that does not remove the seen mark once you open a message. Some people read messages from the notification preview or lock screen to avoid triggering the seen status, though this is a habit rather than a real setting.
Does turning off read receipts hide the delivered status?
No. Delivered and read are two separate signals. Delivered means the message reached the other person’s device; read means they opened it. Turning off read receipts only affects the second one. In most apps there is no way to hide that a message was delivered, because that status is about the network reaching the device, not about you reading anything. Some apps also show a typing indicator and an online or last-seen status; these are controlled by their own separate settings, so if you want full privacy you may need to adjust more than the read-receipts toggle. It is worth checking each of these switches once so you know exactly what you are sharing.
How do I turn off read receipts in Instagram and Telegram?
Instagram Direct has gradually added more control over read receipts, but availability depends on your account type and app version. Look in Settings and privacy, then the Messages and story replies area, for a read-receipts option; where it exists, turning it off hides your seen status and the seen status of others from you, matching the pattern in other apps.
Telegram ties read status to its broader privacy controls. In Settings > Privacy and Security you can limit who sees your Last Seen & Online status, and Telegram’s rule is that if you hide your last-seen time from others, you also lose the ability to see theirs. Secret Chats and certain message types behave differently, so read the on-screen notes as you change each setting.
Are there ways to read a message without triggering the receipt?
Even without turning receipts off, some habits let you preview a message without marking it read. Reading the text from the lock screen or notification banner often shows enough of the message without opening the app, so no read receipt is sent. Some people enable airplane mode, open and read the message, then close the app before reconnecting, though this is fiddly and not fully reliable across apps. These are workarounds rather than settings, and they can behave inconsistently after app updates, so treat them as tricks rather than guarantees.
A note on fairness and expectations
Read receipts cut both ways. Some people find them stressful because they create pressure to reply the instant a message is opened. Others rely on them to know a message landed, particularly for time-sensitive plans. If you turn yours off, be aware that friends who expect to see the read mark may wonder whether you got their message, or may assume you are ignoring them. There is nothing wrong with switching them off; it is simply worth a quick heads-up to close contacts if you think it will confuse them. Many people find a middle ground by leaving receipts on for family and close friends and off elsewhere, which the per-conversation setting in iMessage makes easy.
The bottom line
There is no universal off switch for read receipts, so you handle each app individually: iMessage under Messages, WhatsApp under Privacy, and other apps in their own privacy menus. Remember that some apps hide others’ receipts from you in exchange, that group chats often keep receipts on, and that a few apps offer no true off switch at all. App menus change over time and can differ between phone models and app versions, so if a label does not match exactly, look for the closest wording in the same settings area.
