You open a WhatsApp message, and before you have even decided what to say, the sender knows you have read it. Two blue ticks start a silent countdown to your reply. If you would rather read messages on your own schedule, WhatsApp has a single switch for that — but it comes with a trade-off you should know before you flip it.
What the ticks actually mean
Before changing anything, it helps to read the marks correctly, because turning off read receipts only affects one of them:
| Mark | What it means |
|---|---|
| Clock | The message has not been sent yet, usually because of a connection problem |
| One grey tick | The message was sent from your phone |
| Two grey ticks | The message was delivered to the recipient's phone or a linked device |
| Two blue ticks | The recipient has read your message |
Turning off read receipts does not stop delivery. Your messages still arrive, and two grey ticks still confirm that — they simply never turn blue in one-to-one chats.
On iPhone: turn off read receipts
- Open WhatsApp and tap Settings in the bottom-right corner.
- Tap Privacy.
- Scroll to Read Receipts and switch the toggle off.
The change takes effect immediately for new messages. To turn blue ticks back on later, follow the same path and switch the toggle on again.
On Android: turn off read receipts
- Open WhatsApp and tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
- Tap Settings, then tap Privacy.
- Scroll to Read Receipts and switch the toggle off.
As on iPhone, the change applies straight away to new one-to-one messages, and you can reverse it at any time from the same screen.
What changes — and what does not
Read receipts are a two-way deal, so switching them off costs you the same visibility you gain:
| After you switch read receipts off | What happens |
|---|---|
| One-to-one chats | No blue ticks in either direction — you stop sending them, and you stop seeing them |
| Group chats | Read receipts stay on; the group still sees who has read a message |
| Voice messages | A separate play signal — see the note below |
| Status views | Tied to the same setting: you also stop seeing who viewed your status, and others stop seeing your name in their viewer list |
| WhatsApp Web and Desktop | Follow the setting on your phone, which is where the switch lives |
| Delivery ticks and Last Seen | Unaffected — two grey ticks still confirm delivery, and Last Seen and Online are separate privacy settings |
If you only want it for one chat
Since WhatsApp offers no per-contact switch, the practical middle ground is reading without opening the chat: read the message from the lock-screen or notification-shade preview, or from a long-press preview where your phone offers one, and open the chat only when you are ready to reply. Previews show only the start of longer messages, and opening the chat still sends a blue tick while receipts are on — so treat this as a way to buy time, not as a guarantee.
For a related privacy move that also takes pressure off incoming calls, see our guide to silencing unknown callers on iPhone and Android. And if you want to tidy up the rest of WhatsApp's privacy settings while you are here, our guide to changing your WhatsApp notification sound covers the sound side of the same Settings screens.
How to turn blue ticks back on
Follow the same path — WhatsApp, then Settings, then Privacy — and switch Read Receipts back on. Note that the switch only affects messages from that point on: messages that already showed blue ticks do not turn grey again, and messages sent while receipts were off do not gain blue ticks retroactively.
FAQ
Can I turn off blue ticks for just one person?
No. WhatsApp's read receipt setting applies to all one-to-one chats at once. You cannot switch it off for one contact and keep it on for everyone else.
Does turning off read receipts hide blue ticks in group chats?
No. Read receipts are always on in group chats. In a group, the ticks turn blue once every member has read the message, and long-pressing your own message and tapping Info still shows who has read it.
Will the sender still know I got their message?
Yes, in the delivery sense. Two grey ticks still confirm the message reached your phone or a linked device. What disappears is only the read confirmation — the sender cannot tell from the ticks whether you have opened the chat.
Does turning off read receipts hide my Last Seen or Online status?
No. Those are separate settings under the same Privacy screen. Turning off read receipts changes only the blue ticks (and, as noted above, the Status viewer list), not Last Seen or Online.
If I turn read receipts back on, will old messages turn blue?
No. The setting only affects messages from the moment you change it. A message that was read while receipts were off stays grey, and one that already turned blue stays blue.
Does the setting work on WhatsApp Web too?
The switch itself lives on your phone, and the setting carries over to your account on linked devices such as WhatsApp Web and Desktop. Change it on your phone and it applies everywhere you use the same account.