How to Turn Off Read Receipts on iPhone

To turn off read receipts on iPhone, open Settings, tap Apps, tap Messages and switch off Send Read Receipts. After that, people who text you in iMessage see only that the message was delivered, not that you read it. You can also change the setting for one person from inside their conversation, which overrides the general setting.

Below are both methods, what the other person sees, and the cases where read receipts never apply. Every iOS detail is linked to the Apple Support page it comes from. Menu names can differ slightly on older iOS versions.

Turn off read receipts for everyone

Apple’s guide to Messages safety settings gives the path for iPhone and iPad:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps, then tap Messages.
3. Switch Send Read Receipts off.

The switch is the only thing you need to change. It takes effect for new messages from then on. To turn read receipts back on, repeat the steps and switch the toggle on.

Apple’s iPhone User Guide has a page for the same setting. If your iPhone runs an older version of iOS, that page lets you pick your version.

Change it for one conversation

The general setting is not the last word. According to Apple, you can set read receipts for all conversations or for individual ones, and the two can be mixed. You can leave them on and turn them off for one person, or turn them off generally and allow them for one person.

To change a single conversation:

1. Open the conversation in Messages.
2. Tap the contact’s name or icon at the top.
3. Switch Send Read Receipts on or off.

A per-conversation choice is useful when you want your partner or a boss to see that you read their message while everyone else gets no signal. It also works the other way. Leave read receipts on globally and turn them off for the one person who keeps asking why you have not replied.

What the other person sees

Apple’s wording is short. With read receipts off, the sender sees only that the message has been delivered. With them on, the sender sees a Read indicator under the message after you have read it.

This means turning the setting off hides one thing, the moment you opened the message. The sender still sees Delivered, so they know it reached your phone. Nothing about the setting stops you from replying, and nothing stops them from noticing that you replied late.

When read receipts do not apply

Apple states that read receipts aren’t supported with SMS messaging and with group texts. Two practical points follow from that.

• Green-bubble SMS conversations. The Send Read Receipts setting has no effect on a plain SMS thread, because that thread never sends read receipts in the first place.
• Group texts. The setting does not control what group members see, since Apple lists group texts among the cases that are not supported.

Apple’s page on the difference between iMessage, RCS and SMS/MMS says iMessage and RCS both support delivery and read receipts and typing indicators. We could not find a statement on that page, or on the read receipts page, about how the iPhone setting behaves in RCS conversations, so I will not guess. If you rely on hiding read receipts in a conversation with an Android user, test it with a friend first.

What about typing indicators?

Apple’s page on iMessage, RCS and SMS confirms that typing indicators exist in iMessage and RCS. We found no Apple Support page that describes a switch to turn them off on iPhone, and the read receipts setting does not mention them. If you see a guide claiming a typing indicator toggle in Settings, check it against your own phone before you rely on it.

Other ways to read a message without a trace

Read receipts are one signal among several. If your aim is to keep your messages from being seen by others on your phone, the setting does not help, because it only affects what the sender learns.

• Notification previews. A message shows on your Lock Screen whether or not receipts are on. The guide to hiding text messages on iPhone covers Lock Screen previews, Hide Alerts and Unknown Senders.
• Deleted conversations. If you removed a thread and now want it back, the guide to recovering deleted text messages lists the Recently Deleted route and the backup route.

Where Forevault fits

Read receipts are a Messages setting, and Forevault does not change how Messages works or what it sends. Forevault is for the photos and videos you do not want sitting in your Photos library. It encrypts files on the device with AES-256-GCM and opens with a pattern on a 5×5 grid or a passcode or password, with Face ID as an option. You can keep separate vaults for different patterns, and the lock screen does not list them. You get a 12-word recovery phrase, an encrypted backup to your own iCloud with a “Test a restore” check, and free export to Photos or Files at any time. There is no account and no data collected. The free tier holds 100 photos, 10 videos and 3 vaults. There is no calculator disguise. It protects against someone holding your phone, not forensic analysis. Questions go to the support page. Download Forevault on the App Store.

Frequently asked questions

Can I turn off read receipts for just one person on iPhone?

Yes. Open the conversation, tap the contact at the top and switch Send Read Receipts off for that person. Apple says you can set read receipts for individual conversations and mix that with your general setting.

Does the other person know I turned off read receipts?

Apple’s page does not describe any notice. With read receipts off, the sender sees only that the message has been delivered. They may guess from the missing Read label, but iOS does not tell them you changed the setting.

Do read receipts work on green-bubble texts?

Not for SMS. Apple says read receipts aren’t supported with SMS messaging and with group texts. Apple’s comparison page lists read receipts for iMessage and RCS, so the behavior in RCS threads is something to test rather than assume.

Will turning off read receipts stop the Delivered label?

No. The sender still sees that the message has been delivered. Only the Read indicator, which appears after you read the message, is affected.

Is there a setting to turn off typing indicators on iPhone?

We found no Apple Support page that documents one. Apple confirms that iMessage and RCS support typing indicators, but its read receipts guidance covers only the Send Read Receipts switch.