How to Enable Read Receipts

How to Tell When Someone Reads Your Text Message

Are your texts being ignored on iOS, Android, WhatsApp, or Messenger?

Have you sent a text message and wondered if the recipient saw it or read it? Sometimes, it’s hard to tell if someone is busy, ghosting you, or hasn’t seen your message. Here’s how to tell if someone read your text on Android and iOS smartphones.

Read Receipts on iPhone

On an iPhone, read receipts are the only way to tell if someone read a text you sent from Messages, the default texting app for iOS. If you and your recipient both use the Apple iMessage service and activated read receipts, you’ll see the word Read under your last message to the recipient, along with the time the message was read.

Here’s how to enable or disable read receipts in Messages for iOS:

• Open Settings.
• Tap Messages (the green icon with a white text bubble inside it).
• Turn on Send Read Receipts.
• Others are notified when you read their messages. If your recipient also enabled read receipts, you’ll see Read beneath your message along with the time it was read.

Read Receipts on Android Smartphones

The situation is similar on Android phones. The Android Messages app supports read receipts, but the carrier must also support this feature. Your recipient must have read receipts activated for you to see if they read your message.

Here’s how to turn on read receipts on Android phones:

• From the text messaging app, open Settings. If you don’t see Settings, tap the three vertical dots or lines at the top of the screen.

• Go to Chat features, Text Messages, or Conversations. If this option isn’t on the first page that displays, tap More Settings.
• Turn on (or turn off) the Read Receipts, Send Read Receipts, or Request Receipt toggle switches, depending on your phone and what you want to do.
• Turn on Delivery Receipts to find out if your text message was delivered to the recipient. (This option doesn’t tell you if the message was read.) On newer phones, open the Messages app and go to Settings > Advanced > Get SMS delivery reports.