How to Know if a Message Was Read on WhatsApp: Checkmarks Explained

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Understand WhatsApp checkmarks and read receipts
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WhatsApp's simple checkmark system makes it easy to tell when a message has been sent, received, and read. To view a WhatsApp message's read status, you'll need to open a conversation from the Chats tab and look at the colored checkmarks beneath it. Here's how to know if a message was read on WhatsApp using your iPhone or Android device. We'll also show you how to enable and disable read receipts so you can see (or hide) message read status.

Check if Your WhatsApp Message Was Read

To know if your message was read on WhatsApp, look for two blue check marks underneath your message. If you see two grey check marks, this means your message was sent successfully, but the recipient hasn't read it yet. You'll only see blue check marks if Read Receipts are enabled on both ends.

Section 1 of 3:

Checking Read Receipts

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  1. You can find this tab at the bottom (iPhone) or at the top (Android) of the app.
  2. This will open the conversation in full.
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  3. These will be in the bottom right corner of your message bubble. Checkmarks change according to your message's status: [1]
    • One grey checkmark - Your message was successfully sent.
    • Two grey checkmarks - Your message was received by your recipient's phone.
    • Two blue checkmarks - Your recipient read your message on WhatsApp.
      • Group message checkmarks only turn blue after each participant in the group has seen the message. [2]
    • Two grey checkmarks (Read Receipts disabled) - Your message was successfully sent and may or may not be read.
  4. Now you know that your message was read. [3]
    • Keep in mind that if the recipient has Read Receipts turned off, you won't see two blue checkmarks ; you'll only see two grey checkmarks.
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Section 2 of 3:

Enabling Read Receipts

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  1. 1
    Open the WhatsApp app and tap Settings . If you're using an iPhone, you can find this in the bottom-right corner of the app. On Android, tap the three-dots icon in the top-right corner first.
    • You must have your own Read Receipts turned on to see the Read Receipts of others. If you have this feature disabled on your end, the most you will see is two grey checkmarks.
  2. 2
    Tap Privacy . You'll find this underneath Account .
  3. 3
    Toggle on "Read Receipts". You may need to scroll down to find this option.
    • This will let other users know when you have read their message.
    • Read receipts are always sent for group chats ; you cannot disable this feature for group chats.
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Section 3 of 3:

Frequently Asked Questions

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  1. 1
    Does one checkmark mean I'm blocked? Social media security expert Naveh Bon Dror confirms that if you're blocked by someone on WhatsApp, your messages won't reach them. Therefore, you'll only see a single check mark below any messages you try to send.
    • However, one checkmark can also indicate a faulty connection on the other user's end.
  2. 2
    Do I need Read Receipts turned on? If you want to see the Read Receipts of other users, you must have your own Read Receipts turned on. If you don't, you'll only see two grey checkmarks at most.
  3. 3
    How do I know if I'm blocked on WhatsApp? If you're blocked on WhatsApp, you'll be unable to call the recipient, successfully send messages with two blue checkmarks, see their "Last seen" status, or view new profile pictures. If all of these are true, it's likely you've been blocked.
  4. 4
    What should I do if my message wasn't read? If your message wasn't read, don't automatically assume you've been blocked. Try waiting a few hours to see if the user is simply busy. They may be having internet issues or device issues. If you need to contact them urgently, you can try using a different social media platform instead.
  5. 5
    What do two checkmarks mean on WhatsApp? If you see two grey checkmarks on WhatsApp, this means your message was successfully sent to the recipient, but it has not been read yet. If you see two blue checkmarks, this means your message was successfully sent and the recipient has seen it.
    • Keep in mind that if you or the recipient has Read Receipts disabled, you'll only see two grey checkmarks regardless of whether they've read the message or not.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Can I find out what time the recipient read my message?
    Pimemorized
    Top Answerer
    Highlight the message by long-clicking on it, then press the circled i on the top of the screen. This will tell you both the time the message was read and the time the message was delivered.
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    Not Helpful 80 Helpful 104
  • Question
    How would I know if the person receiving the message has been online?
    Pimemorized
    Top Answerer
    You can click on the name for the last-seen time on top, which is the time the user was last online on WhatsApp. However, some people choose to hide this information, in which case it would be blank under the name. If this happens, there is no way to tell.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 22 Helpful 43
  • Question
    Someone has read my message, but the two check marks still remain gray even after the person replied. What does that mean?
    Pimemorized
    Top Answerer
    This means the person has turned off read receipts in settings.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      Warnings

      • If a WhatsApp user has push notifications enabled, they may be able to read your message without opening the app. This means that you won't see the two blue checkmarks until they log into WhatsApp again.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/665923838265756/?cms_platform=android
      2. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/665923838265756/?cms_platform=android
      3. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/665923838265756/?cms_platform=android

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