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10 Tech How-To

Turn Off iMessage Read Receipts on iPhone

Guide 10-30469 · Updated · Step by step

Turning off read receipts in iMessage stops the sender from seeing the blue “Read” status under your messages, so they only see “Delivered.” This gives you privacy to reply on your own schedule. You can disable them for everyone at once, or only for specific contacts. No special tools are needed—just your iPhone with iOS 10 or later.

What You’ll Need

  • An iPhone with iMessage enabled (Settings > Messages > iMessage turned on)
  • iOS 10 or later (the steps are the same on all recent versions)

Step-by-Step

Turn Off Read Receipts for All Contacts

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap Messages.
  3. Scroll down to the Send & Receive section (or just below it).
  4. Find Send Read Receipts and toggle the switch to off (the switch will no longer be green).

Turn Off Read Receipts for a Specific Contact

If you want to keep read receipts on for most people but turn them off for a few, you can do it per conversation:

  1. Open the Messages app.
  2. Tap the conversation with the contact you want to change.
  3. Tap the info (i) button in the top-right corner of the screen.
  4. Scroll down and toggle Send Read Receipts to off.
  5. Tap Done in the top-right to save your change.

Common Mistakes

  • Turning off the wrong switch: Make sure you are toggling “Send Read Receipts,” not “Send as SMS” or “Show Subject Field.”
  • Expecting it to affect SMS/MMS: Read receipts only work with iMessage (blue bubbles). Green bubble texts do not have read receipts at all, so the setting won’t change anything there.
  • Forgetting that the other person can still see “Delivered”: Even with read receipts off, the sender will see that the message was delivered to your device. That’s normal.
  • Assuming the change is instantaneous: It usually is, but if you have multiple Apple devices (iPad, Mac), the setting on each device is separate. You need to turn it off on each device if you want to hide read receipts everywhere.

Tips

  • If you want to hide read receipts only temporarily, you can turn them back on later by following the same steps and toggling the switch back on.
  • You can also turn off read receipts for a group conversation by opening the group info (tap the avatars at the top) and toggling the same switch.
  • If you’re in a conversation where the other person has read receipts on, you might still see “Read” under your sent messages—that’s their setting, not yours.
  • To avoid being pressured to reply immediately, you can also use Focus modes to delay notifications without changing read receipts.

Troubleshooting

If you turned off read receipts but the other person still sees “Read,” try these steps:

  1. Check that you’re on iMessage: Make sure your message bubbles are blue, not green. If they’re green, you’re sending SMS and read receipts don’t apply.
  2. Restart the Messages app: Swipe up from the bottom (or double-click the Home button on older models) to see app switcher, then swipe the Messages app away. Reopen it.
  3. Restart your iPhone: A quick restart often refreshes the settings.
  4. Check other devices: If you have an iPad or Mac with Messages, read receipts might be turned on there. Go to Settings > Messages (or Messages > Preferences on Mac) and turn off “Send Read Receipts” on each device.
  5. Ensure iOS is up to date: Go to Settings > General > Software Update to see if an update is available. Updates can fix glitches.
  6. Toggle the setting off and on: Sometimes flipping the switch off, waiting a few seconds, and turning it back on can help reset the preference.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the other person know I turned off read receipts?

No, they won’t get a notification. They’ll just stop seeing “Read” under their messages to you, but they may notice the change if they were used to seeing it.

Can I turn off read receipts for only one person?

Yes, you can do it per conversation by tapping the “i” button in the conversation and toggling “Send Read Receipts” off for that contact.

Does turning off read receipts affect my own read receipts for messages I send?

No, it only affects whether others see when you’ve read their messages. You will still see read receipts from others if they have them enabled.

Why do I still see “Read” under my sent messages?

That means the recipient has read receipts enabled on their device. You can’t control their setting; you can only control your own.

Will read receipts turn back on after an iOS update?

Usually not, but it’s a good idea to check after a major update, as settings sometimes reset. Just go to Settings > Messages > Send Read Receipts.

Does turning off read receipts also hide my typing indicator?

No, the typing indicator (“…” bubble) is separate. You can’t turn that off in iMessage settings, but it only shows when you’re actively typing.

Related

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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