Read receipts on WhatsApp: how to identify and disable them

Read receipts on WhatsApp, or the common blue checkmarks, are one of the most useful (and often controversial) features offered by the messaging app. They let you know whether your message has been sent, delivered, and actually read by the other person. However, using them can create a sense of pressure, a sense of coercion in responding quickly and even, in some specific cases, a potential misunderstanding.

In this article, we will explain how they work, how to disable them and what alternatives we have for monitoring every single conversation, especially if you find yourself having to manage customer service when using tools like Callbell, which allow you to centralize all your business interactions.

What are read receipts on WhatsApp?

Read receipts are simple visual verification icons that WhatsApp uses to show the actual status of a message. Here is what they mean:

• One grey checkmark (✓): message sent from the device.
• Two grey checkmarks (✓✓): message delivered to the other person's device.
• Two blue checkmarks (✓✓): message read by the other person.

Please note that for voice messages, the icon changes to a microphone icon, which turns blue as soon as audio playback is activated.

How to enable or disable read receipts

If you want more privacy or don't want to feel monitored, WhatsApp allows you to disable this feature.

On Android:

1. Open WhatsApp.
2. Go to Settings > Privacy.
3. Turn off Read receipts.

On iOS:

1. Open WhatsApp.
2. Go to Settings > Privacy.
3. Turn off Read receipts.

Important things to remember:

• If you disable receipts, you will no longer be able to see when others have read your messages.
• In group chats, receipts are always enabled.
• Voice messages will always display a read receipt, even when the option is disabled.

Read receipts and activity: why they are not always enough

Although this tool is widely used at a personal level, it is not an essential feature for businesses. Read receipts only indicate whether a message has been viewed, but they do not allow you to:

• Distribute chats among different agents.
• Analyse team performance.
• Create funnels or automations.
• Manage multiple channels.
• Integrate WhatsApp with sales or marketing tools.

And this is precisely where Callbell becomes essential for all those companies that need to expand their customer service and sales.

How Callbell can improve conversation management beyond read receipts

If you use WhatsApp to communicate with your customers, close sales, manage or measure your performance, or simply monitor business communications, then Callbell allows you to go far beyond the common blue check mark.

With Callbell, you can:

– Have a unified inbox

Manage messages from WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, and Live Chat in one place.

– Always know which agent handled a specific message, when, and how

Callbell records history, internal notes, assignments, and statuses; information that cannot be viewed with simple read receipts.

– Automate responses and workflows

With the help of the Chatbot module, you can automate initial messages, filter leads and guide users based on their needs.

– Analyze metrics in a real and truthful way

The Analytics module allows you to analyse response times, individual performance, customer satisfaction and much more.

– Expand customer service

• routing
• automatic assignment
• quick responses
• funnels
• segments
• broadcast messages

Is it worth disabling read receipts?

It depends on your goal:

• Personal use: Yes, especially if you want privacy or avoid misunderstandings.
• Professional use: No, as agents have more specialized tools to monitor workflows and conversation quality.

Conclusion

Read receipts on WhatsApp are useful for personal conversations, but they are not enough to fully understand customer interactions in sales or support.

With Callbell, you can manage conversations professionally, automate processes and scale communication without sacrificing speed or efficiency.

If you would like to try Callbell free for 7 days, click here.