WhatsApp Read Receipts Off: What Still Shows
You want to read messages without the sender seeing blue ticks. With WhatsApp read receipts off, people you chat one to one with stop getting blue ticks from you, and you stop getting them from everyone else. It is a trade, not a one-way mask.
It also has gaps. WhatsApp says the setting doesn't disable read receipts for group chats or play receipts for voice messages, and there's no way to turn those off. It also changes what you can see about who viewed your status.
What the setting changes
| Situation | With read receipts off |
|---|---|
| One-to-one chat, they read your message | You don't get blue ticks from them |
| One-to-one chat, you read their message | They don't get blue ticks from you |
| Group chats | No change. Read receipts are always sent for group chats |
| Voice messages | No change to play receipts. WhatsApp says there's no way to turn those off |
| Status | You might not be able to see who views your status, and others may not see when you view theirs |
WhatsApp states the two-way rule directly: if you turn off read receipts, you won't be able to see read receipts from others. The default is open: any user can see your read receipts unless you change it.
Will they know you turned it off?
WhatsApp's help pages describe the setting as a privacy control and don't mention any notice to your contacts when you change it. They can still notice a change in what they see: the messages they send you stay on two grey ticks in your one-to-one chat, even after you've read them.
That is an inference from how ticks work, not something WhatsApp announces. Two grey ticks can also come from other causes. WhatsApp lists reasons such as the recipient not having opened the chat, a connection problem, or a first message from someone new, so nobody can tell from ticks alone that you switched receipts off. Our post on two grey ticks without blue covers the full list.
Groups, voice messages and status
Groups. Read receipts are always sent for group chats, even if you turn the option off. In a group, the blue ticks on a sender's message show only when everyone has read it, and your reading counts. See how to see who read your message in a WhatsApp group.
Voice messages. The setting doesn't turn off play receipts. A sender can still see that you played their voice message. We explain the marks in the WhatsApp voice message played indicator.
Status. WhatsApp's read receipts page says that with the setting off you might not be able to see who views your status. Its privacy settings page is firmer: you can't see who viewed your statuses, and you'll see an eye icon with a slash instead. If a contact turns off read receipts, you can't see whether they've viewed your statuses. If you want to watch statuses privately, see how to view WhatsApp status without them knowing.
View once. WhatsApp says that to see whether a recipient has opened a view once photo, video or voice message, they need read receipts turned on.
One case where blue ticks stay hidden even with the setting on
When you get a first message from someone who isn't saved in your contacts, your read receipt won't show to the sender until you reply or add them as a contact, even if read receipts are on. So grey ticks on a first message to a stranger don't tell you the setting is off.
How to turn read receipts off
- Open WhatsApp.
- On Android, tap More options (three dots), then Settings. On iPhone, tap Settings or your profile picture. On the web and desktop app, go to Settings.
- Tap Privacy.
- Turn off Read receipts.
The Android path on WhatsApp's page is More options > Settings > Privacy, then turn off Read receipts. To turn them back on, switch the same toggle on.
WhatsApp's pages don't say whether turning receipts back on changes the ticks of messages you already read, so don't count on it.
Read receipts and the blue ticks you can't avoid
If your goal is to read a message without a receipt, the setting is the documented way for one-to-one chats, with the costs above. WhatsApp doesn't say whether reading from a notification preview sends a receipt, so we don't claim either way. We go through the options in how to read WhatsApp messages without blue ticks. Edited messages also reset read receipts, so you can see who viewed the update.
Where Tenashi fits
For a business, a customer who has receipts off looks exactly like a customer who hasn't read your message. Two grey ticks can't tell you which one it is, so chasing a customer because the ticks haven't turned blue can mean nagging someone who has read it.
Tenashi connects your own WhatsApp number so your team works one shared inbox. Messages your team sends show WhatsApp's delivery status with the same ticks, and show Seen once WhatsApp reports the message read. It only shows what WhatsApp reports, and it doesn't change any WhatsApp privacy setting, including yours. Our guide to WhatsApp for business covers running a team on one number, and what the ticks mean covers the marks. This applies to chats on your own connected number, from the day you connect it.
Plans start at $18/mo. Get started.
FAQ
What happens when you turn off read receipts on WhatsApp?
You stop sending blue ticks in one-to-one chats, and you stop seeing them from others. WhatsApp says it doesn't disable read receipts for group chats or play receipts for voice messages. You might also not be able to see who views your status.
If I turn off read receipts on WhatsApp, will they know?
WhatsApp's help pages mention no notice to your contacts. They can see that your reading no longer turns their messages blue. Grey ticks have other possible causes too, so ticks alone don't prove that you changed the setting.
Do WhatsApp read receipts still work in group chats when turned off?
Yes. WhatsApp says read receipts are always sent for group chats, even if you turn off the option in your privacy settings. There is no way to turn that off, so a group message you read will always be reported as read to the sender.
Do read receipts off hide voice message played?
No. WhatsApp says turning off read receipts won't disable play receipts for voice messages, and that there's no way to turn those off. The sender can still see that you played it, so a voice message is the one place where listening is visible even with the setting off.
Does turning off read receipts hide my status views?
It changes status visibility both ways. WhatsApp says that with read receipts off you might not be able to see who views your status, and others may not see when you view theirs. If a contact turns theirs off, you can't see if they viewed your statuses.
How do I turn off blue ticks on WhatsApp?
Go to Settings, then Privacy, and turn off Read receipts. On Android, open More options first, then Settings. On iPhone, tap Settings or your profile picture. This hides blue ticks in one-to-one chats, both ways.
Read receipts off hides your reading in one-to-one chats and costs you the same view of everyone else. To follow delivery ticks across a team on one number, get started with Tenashi.