Texting and not getting a response right away, or even within an hour, can be annoying. If you've ever been through this, you know it's not a pleasant feeling when someone takes hours or even days to get back to you. But how do you know if they even read your message?
Luckily, WhatsApp is one of those apps with a great system that makes it easy to see if someone has received and read your messages. In this article, we will provide you with a detailed step-by-step guide on how to tell if someone has read your messages on WhatsApp, so be sure to keep reading.
There are different ways to determine if someone has read your messages on WhatsApp. You can look at checkmarks or message information. Plus, you can even check if someone has listened to a voicemail you sent them.
Check the checkmarks on your message
One of WhatsApp's awesome features is its tick system. After each message you send, you will see checkmarks that have different meanings.
If you see a gray checkmark next to your message, your message was sent, but not delivered. This can happen if the recipient's internet is disabled or there is no signal.
If you see two gray checkmarks next to your message, your message was successfully delivered to the recipient.
If you see two blue checkmarks next to your message, the recipient has read it.
If you're in a group chat, you'll only see two blue checkmarks when all members have read the message. Until then, they will remain gray.
Message Information
Another way to check if someone has read your message is to check the message information. Here's how:
- Select the message.
- Tap the three dot icon in the upper right corner.
- Press "Info". There you will see if and when the message was delivered and read.
Sending the person a voice note
One of the options available in WhatsApp is sending a voice message. There are two ways to check if the recipient has read your message.
Review checkmarks and microphone icon
As with text messages, look at the checkmarks to determine if the person has read your message. However, just because someone read it doesn't mean they listened to it. That's why you have the microphone icon to the left of your voicemail.
If both checkmarks are blue and the microphone icon is gray, the recipient has seen that you sent a voicemail but hasn't read it yet.
If both checkmarks and the microphone icon are blue, the recipient has seen and read your message.
However, there is a trick that can be used to play voicemails without displaying the blue microphone icon. Here's how:
- When a voice message is received, do not listen to it.
- Select the message and tap the right arrow icon in the top right.
- Choose a contact and forward the message to them.
- Open the voicemail from this chat.
By forwarding the voicemail message to someone else, the first recipient can play it without the blue microphone icon appearing to the sender. However, note that the sender can still see that their message was delivered.
Message Information
Viewing message information is another way to determine if someone has received, read, and viewed your message:
- Select your voice message.
- Tap the three dot icon in the upper right corner.
- Press "Info".
- You will see if and when your message has been delivered, seen and played. If it hasn't been read yet, you'll see when it was read.
Troubleshooting problems sending and receiving messages
If you are unable to send and/or receive messages on WhatsApp, the most likely cause of this problem is a poor internet connection. However, there are other possible reasons you can investigate if you are sure your connection is good:
- You need to restart or reboot your phone.
- The number you tried to send the message to has blocked you.
- You did not save the contact correctly. Check the contact's phone number.
- You have not completed the verification process correctly.
Complete the verification process
If you want to use WhatsApp, it is not enough to install it on your phone. You must verify your phone number before you can send and receive messages. We have provided a step by step guide on how to complete the process.
- Open WhatsApp.
- Go through the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and press "Agree and Continue".
- Enter your country code and phone number and tap "Next".
- A message will appear asking you to review the phone number. If you made a mistake, tap "Edit" to correct the number. If you have entered the correct number, press “OK”.
- You will receive an SMS with a six-digit code that you must enter. If you don't want to, you can choose the "Call me" option to receive an automated phone call with the code. If you try to guess the code, you may be temporarily blocked from requesting a new one.
- If you want to restore a previous backup, press "Continue". Otherwise, press "Not now".
If you haven't received the code, you can try checking your internet connection, restarting your phone, or reinstalling the app.
Connection problems
If you can't send or receive messages on WhatsApp, you might have connection issues. There are several things you can check to make sure everything is working properly on your end:
- Restart your phone.
- Update WhatsApp.
- Make sure Airplane mode is off.
- Make sure your Wi-Fi/data is on.
- Try connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot.
- Restart your Wi-Fi router.
- Update your system.
- Disable the VPN service if you have one.
- If none of the above works, contact your mobile operator and check if your APN settings are configured correctly.
Additional FAQs
How do I turn off read receipts?
WhatsApp offers the option to disable read receipts:
1. Open WhatsApp.
2. Tap the three dots icon in the upper right corner.
3. Tap "Settings".
4. Tap "Account".
5. Tap "Privacy".
6. Disable the switch next to "Read receipts".
Now, whenever someone sends you a message, they will only be able to see that the message has been received. However, it is important to note that it works both ways. When you send a message and the recipient reads it, you won't know. You will have two gray checkmarks next to your message which simply indicate that the message has been delivered, although it may also have been read.
Additionally, it's worth mentioning that read receipts for group and voicemail messages cannot be turned off.
How do I hide my online status?
If you don't want certain people to know when you're online but you avoid replying to a message or don't want to be disturbed, you can hide your status. This way no one will know when you were active.
1. Open WhatsApp.
2. Tap the three dots icon in the upper right corner.
3. Tap "Settings".
4. Tap "Account".
5. Tap "Privacy".
6. Tap "Last Seen". Here you can choose who can see your online status: everyone, your contacts or nobody. If you want to go completely incognito on WhatsApp, tap on “Nobody”.
One important thing to keep in mind is that when you turn off your online status, you won't be able to see anyone else's either.
Additional privacy settings allow you to set the level of exposure you are comfortable with. For example, you can choose who can see your profile picture, status, information, or add you to group chats.
How to use WhatsApp live location?
WhatsApp allows you to share your location in real time with your contacts. If you're meeting a friend or family member or walking home at night, you can use this feature to keep an individual or group up to date. Here's how to activate it:
1. Open the chat in which you want to share your location.
2. Tap the paper clip icon.
3. Tap "Location".
4. Allow WhatsApp to access your location.
5. Tap "Share Live Location". You can choose how long you want to share the location: 15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours.
6. Tap the arrow in the lower right corner to send it.
7. If you want to stop sharing your location, tap "Stop Sharing" and "Stop".
Since WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, you can be sure no one can see your location except the people you decide to share it with.
Can I see the exact time my message was read?
You can see the exact time your message was read by checking the message information.
1. Select the message.
2. Tap the three dots icon in the upper right corner.
3. Press "Info".
4. You will see the exact time someone read your message. If it has not yet been read, but has been delivered, you will see the delivery time and a line under "Read". Once the recipient opens the message, it will change to the exact time it was opened.
And it's a Wrap on WhatsApp
You have now learned how to tell if someone has read your messages on WhatsApp while learning more about troubleshooting and different privacy options. If you want to check if someone has seen your message, you can do so in a number of ways, thanks to WhatsApp's checkmark system and message information.
Do you often check the status of your messages in WhatsApp? Tell us more in the comment section below.
