Read receipts tell another iMessage user when you opened their message and can show the time it was read. If you prefer more privacy, you can turn them off for every conversation or only for one person.
Read receipts apply to blue-bubble iMessage conversations only. Green SMS and MMS conversations do not use this feature.
Does This Affect You?
Use this if you do not want others to see Read under their messages after you open a conversation.
Turn Off Read Receipts for Everyone
- Open Settings.
- On iOS 18, tap Apps, then Messages. On iOS 17 and earlier, tap Messages from the main Settings list.
- Find Send Read Receipts.
- Turn the switch off.
After this, your iMessage contacts no longer see when you read their messages.
Turn Off Read Receipts for One Conversation
- Open Messages.
- Open the conversation.
- Tap the contact name or photo at the top.
- Tap the info button if shown.
- Turn off Send Read Receipts for that conversation.
This conversation-specific setting overrides the global Messages setting for that person.
Read Receipt Notes
It Is a Two-Way Tradeoff
When you hide your own read status, you may also stop seeing read status from others. iMessage does not let you invisibly read while still tracking everyone else.
SMS Has No Read Receipt
If the conversation is green, there is no iMessage read receipt to disable. Standard SMS and MMS do not support this Apple read-status feature.
Delivered Still Appears
Turning off read receipts does not remove Delivered. Delivered only means the message reached the device; it does not mean the person opened it.
Sources
- Apple Support: Send and receive messages on iPhone
- Apple Support: Change Messages settings on iPhone
- Apple Support: Turn read receipts on or off in Messages