IPHONE
How to turn read receipts on or off on an iPhone (iOS 27)
In short
Open Settings, Apps, Messages and turn Send Read Receipts on or off. When it is on, people see when you have read their iMessages. It was off on our iPhone 17e.
4 of 4 steps show a real screenshot from our iPhone 17e. Each step was checked against the maker's own instructions, linked at the end.
Steps
- 1
Tap Messages in Apps
Open the Settings app, scroll down and tap Apps. The list is A to Z: Messages is under M.
- 2
Find Send Read Receipts
Scroll down past Unknown Senders and Show Contact Photos. Send Read Receipts was off on ours.
- 3
Turn it on
Tap the switch so it turns green. The note under it says people are notified when you have read their messages, and that this enables read receipts for all conversations.
- 4
Or turn it off
Tap it again so it turns grey. We set ours back to off.
If you do not see this option
- Want it for one person only? Apple says to open the conversation, tap the contact at the top and turn Send Read Receipts on or off there. That choice wins over the main switch. Source: Turn read receipts on or off in Messages on iPhone
- No read receipt on a text? Apple says read receipts are not supported with SMS messaging or group texts. Source: Turn read receipts on or off in Messages on iPhone
If this does not work
- You never see when others read yours? Apple says you cannot turn on read receipts for anyone but yourself. The other person has to turn them on.
- Messages are green bubbles? Those are SMS, so no receipts. If iMessage is stuck, see iMessage waiting for activation.
- Turned it off, but one person still sees Read? Apple says the main switch only affects conversations where you never set read receipts for that person. If you turned them on in a single chat, open that chat, tap the contact icon at the top and turn Send Read Receipts off there too.
- Turned it on, but one person sees only Delivered? The same rule works the other way. If you once turned receipts off for that contact, Apple says you have to turn the setting back on in that one conversation.
- Not sure which kind of message it is? Apple says iMessage texts appear in blue bubbles, while SMS, MMS and RCS messages appear in green. RCS is not supported by all carriers or in all countries or regions.
Good to know
To keep unknown senders out of your main list: how to filter unknown senders and spam in Messages.
Apple describes exactly what the other person sees. With your receipts on, the word Read appears under the messages they sent you once you open them. If you have not opened them yet, or your receipts are off, they see Delivered instead. Nothing changes on your side: you still see their messages and notifications as before.
Turning receipts off is a privacy choice. To catch up later without losing track, Apple lets you tap the filter button in the conversation list and choose Unread to show only the chats you have not opened.
About this guide
- Device
- iPhone
- Shown on
- iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 17e)
- App
- Settings
- Path
- Settings › Apps › Messages › Send Read Receipts
- Real screenshots
- 4 of 4 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 4 official, linked below
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Spotted a mistake? Menus change with updates, and we want every step to match your screen. Email us about this page or use the contact form. We read every report, and fixes are listed on What changed.
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