How to Turn Off Read Receipts for iMessage on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Whenever you send a message to your contacts, the Read Receipt appears at its bottom-right corner. It lets you know that the person has read the message. However, the Read Receipts only work for the messages sent through iMessage as it is not available for texts (SMS).

Sometimes, you may not see incoming messages from your contacts. When you see them, you might not want to reply instantly. So you can hide your Read Receipts. This post will share the steps to turn off Read Receipts for iMessage on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Ensure that you are using the latest software version on your Apple devices.

How to Turn Off iMessage Read Receipts on iPhone and iPad

Let’s check the steps to disable Read Receipts on your iPhone and iPad. The steps mentioned below are for turning the feature for all your iMessage contacts. The steps remain the same for iPhone and iPad.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and tap on Messages.

Step 2: Scroll down and tap the toggle next to Send Read Receipts.

The iOS won’t inform your contact whether you have read any messages or not. You can also follow these steps to turn off Read Receipts without opening the message from your contact. You can always enable Read Receipts for the same contacts by enabling the option again.

Turn Off Read Receipts for Specific Contacts on iPhone and iPad

Now there can be specific contacts from your friends, family, or colleagues who shouldn’t know when you read their message. In that case, you can disable Read Receipts for specific contacts on your iPhone and iPad. The steps remain the same for both platforms.

Step 1: Open the Messages app and open the chat with your contact.

Step 2: Tap the contact icon at the top.

Step 3: Scroll down and tap the toggle next to Send Read Receipts to disable the feature for that particular contact.

You can also turn on Airplane Mode on your iPhone or iPad and then follow the steps to avoid letting your contact know that you opened the chat.

How to Turn Off iMessage Read Receipts on Mac

You can sync your iMessage chats from iPhone to Mac and access them whenever you are using your Mac. Read Receipts are also visible to contacts while using iMessage on Mac. So here’s how you can hide your Read Receipts from all contacts.

Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar keyboard shortcut to open Spotlight Search, type Messages, and press Return.

Step 2: Click on Messages from the top-left corner and select Settings.

Step 3: Click the iMessage tab.

Step 4: Click the checkbox next to Send Read Receipts to disable the feature.

After you close the tab, your contacts will not see your read receipts. Also, you can again follow the same steps without opening your contact chat.

Turn Off Read Receipts for Specific Contacts on Your Mac

Just like on iPhone and iPad, you can also turn off Read Receipts for specific contacts on your Mac. Here’s how.

Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar keyboard shortcut to open Spotlight Search, type Messages, and press Return.

Step 2: Open the chat with your contact for whom you want to disable Read Receipt.

Step 3: Click the Info icon at the top-right corner of the chat window.

Step 4: Scroll down the Info window and click the checkbox next to Show Read Receipts to disable the feature.

You can always enable Read Receipts for the same contacts by enabling the option again.

Hide Your Read Receipts

After you turn off Read Receipts for iMessage on your Apple devices, you are relieved from the pressure of checking and responding to messages immediately. You can log in to iMessage using your email account and phone number.

Usually, iMessage is signed in using your phone number which is visible when your contacts receive your messages. However, some users complain that their contacts see their email ID instead of their phone number. If you are facing the same issue, refer to our post to fix this issue of iMessage sending from email instead of phone number.