It's close to midnight, and you're winding down a busy day with a book. Just then, your phone dings. It's a text message from a friend wanting to know what your plans are for the weekend. You read the text and decide to reply the next day. It's much too late to start a conversation now. Ten minutes later, another text arrives. Your friend saw you read the message and wants to know why you're not replying.
Whether you want to take advantage of Android 15 security features or update Android with the latest patches, we have a solution. Here's how to turn off read receipts on Android to protect your privacy.
What are read receipts on Android?
Read receipts show whether you opened a text message. They're helpful to senders who may wonder if you saw their text. The read receipt lets them know that yes, you saw the message, and it isn't languishing in your inbox.
Android smartphones use several indicator icons to show text message status. They include:
- Timer: A message is being sent.
- Single check: The message is sent.
- Double check: The message is delivered.
- Filled-in double check: The recipient read the message.
Other text messaging apps, such as WhatsApp™ and Facebook™ Messenger, offer read receipts. WhatsApp uses two double-blue checks to indicate a read message. Facebook Messenger displays the recipient's profile image when they read a text.
Samsung® Messages uses the word Read to indicate whether a recipient saw your message. The platform also includes a timestamp of the read time.
How disabling read receipts affects your conversations
When you turn off read receipts, people who send you messages won't know when you view their text. However, it works both ways — you won't know when they see your texts, either.
Keep in mind you can always re-enable read receipts if you decide they're useful. Disabling them is a settings adjustment you can tweak anytime.
Turn off read receipts in Google Messages (Android Messages)
Most Android smartphones use Google Messages (or Android Messages) as the default texting app. To turn off read receipts on Android Messages, follow these steps.
- Open Google Messages.
- Tap your profile picture.
- Tap Messages settings.
- Tap RCS chats.
- Turn off Send read receipts.
Google Messages displays three bubbles when you read or initiate a reply to a message. If you don't want senders to see the three bubbles, turn off Show typing indicators, too.
Turn off read receipts in Samsung Messages
Most Samsung phones, including the Samsung Galaxy®, come pre-installed with Samsung Messages as the default text app. Follow these steps to turn off read receipts on Android Samsung.
- Open Samsung Messages.
- Tap the three-dot menu > Settings.
- Tap More settings.
- Turn off Read receipts.
Turn off read receipts in other third-party apps
Third-party text apps set their own rules for read receipts. Use these steps to disable them across several popular platforms.
Facebook Messenger
- Open Facebook Messenger.
- Tap Menu > Settings > Privacy & Safety.
- Turn off Read Receipts.
Telegram
The Telegram Messenger app doesn't provide an option to turn off read receipts. However, you can view a preview of the message in your notifications. This approach works for short texts — longer messages won't display in full.
- Open WhatsApp.
- Tap the three-dot menu > Settings.
- Tap Privacy.
- Turn off Read Receipts.
Disabling read receipts on WhatsApp works for individual chats. You can't change the read receipt settings for group chats or voice messages. Once you turn off read receipts, you won't know when someone checks your message status.
Signal
- Open Signal.
- Tap Signal Settings > Privacy.
- Turn off Read Receipts.
FAQ
Can I disable read receipts for RCS chats only?
If you have Rich Communication Services (RCS) chats enabled on your Android device, follow the following steps to disable read receipts for RCS chats only.
- Open Google Messages.
- Tap your profile picture.
- Tap Messages settings.
- Tap RCS chats.
- Turn off Send read receipts.
Will turning off read receipts affect group messages?
Turning off read receipts doesn't affect group message settings. On platforms that display read receipts for group chats (such as WhatsApp), you'll still see an indicator when a recipient views a message.
Does disabling read receipts stop others from seeing when I'm typing?
The typing indicator is controlled separately from read receipts. Some messaging platforms include functionality to turn off the typing indicator, while others don't. If you use Google Messages on an Android smartphone, you can disable the typing indicator in Message Settings.
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