You should turn off read receipts
This post was edited with the help of an AI model. I don't do that anymore, but I've added a notice to this post for transparancy.
I asked myself recently: how do read receipts in messaging apps actually serve me?
The answer is that they don’t. The only function they seem to serve is making me anxious and guilty. I avoid opening messages because I know I’ll then be expected to reply. So I leave messages unread — often without knowing the full contents — and ruminate over what the message might say beyond the preview.
On the other hand, when I send a message I find myself constantly checking to see if the recipient has read it. If they have, but don’t reply, I spiral into overthinking why they might not want to respond.
The big realisation was this: I genuinely don’t understand the functional purpose of read receipts. They’re just another tool tech companies use to keep us engaged, at the expense of our mental health.
So I turned them off.
What is the impact of read receipts?
I wanted to know if my experience was unique, so I looked at the research. A number of studies show that users almost universally dislike features like this.
A 2017 study by James Linden and Teis Rasmussen linked read receipts to:
…an array of behaviours and emotional effects including avoidance strategies, increased app checking and feelings of anxiety as well as strong negative attitudes to the feature.
A 2018 study (Kato et al.) found that “negative emotions” arise significantly faster when a sender knows the recipient has read the message. In other words, the little blue tick makes us much more impatient.
In general, the research suggests that switching off read receipts — as well as other “status/awareness” features like typing indicators — reduces stress and anxiety, and improves well-being.
Who should turn off read receipts?
In short: everyone. There are very few situations where they provide any meaningful benefit to users.
If you want to go further, consider switching off other “presence” signals like typing indicators and “last seen” statuses. Essentially, anything that makes you feel watched by the people on the other end of the chat.
What apps do I need to worry about?
I was relieved to find that every app I use lets me switch off read receipts. These include WhatsApp, iMessage, and Messenger.
WhatsApp and Messenger also allow you to disable their “Active Status” features, which I’ve done as well.
So far I haven’t seen any downside. None of my friends or family seem to have noticed or cared — and I feel far better about my relationship with messaging apps.
Switching off read receipts is a no-brainer. Life’s too short to be haunted by blue ticks.