Read receipts in iMessage are a useful feature that lets the sender know exactly when you have opened and read their message. While this is helpful for close friends or family members, you likely do not want colleagues, acquaintances, or automated services knowing your exact viewing habits. Apple allows you to manage this privacy concern by turning off read receipts globally, while enabling them on a per-contact basis.
Disable Global Read Receipts
To ensure that read receipts are disabled by default for everyone, you must first adjust your system-wide Messages settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Messages.
- Locate the toggle switch for Send Read Receipts.
- Tap the switch to turn it off (the switch will turn grey).
With this setting disabled, nobody will see the “Read” status beneath messages they send to you. They will only see the “Delivered” status, regardless of whether you have opened the conversation.
Enable Read Receipts for Specific Contacts
Now that global read receipts are disabled, you can manually enable the feature for individual people within the Messages app.
- Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
- Tap on an existing conversation with the person you want to share read receipts with.
- Tap on their name or profile picture located at the very top of the screen to open the contact details menu.
- Scroll down the menu until you find the Send Read Receipts option.
- Toggle the switch to the ON position (it will turn green).
- Tap Done in the top-right corner to return to the conversation.
This setting applies exclusively to the selected contact. You can repeat this process for any other trusted individuals, ensuring that your messaging privacy remains intact for everyone else.