To see if someone read your text on an iPhone, look just below the last message you sent in the conversation. If it says Read with a time, the person opened it. If it says Delivered, it reached their device but either they haven’t opened it or they’ve turned off read receipts. You’ll only see Read for blue iMessages and RCS messages, and only when the other person has Send Read Receipts turned on.
Below is what each status means, how to turn read receipts on or off for yourself, and why you sometimes can’t tell whether a message was read.
What the status under your message means
| You see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Read and a time | The person opened the conversation after your message arrived. |
| Delivered | It reached their device. They may not have opened it, or they have read receipts off. |
| Delivered Quietly | It arrived while they had a Focus on, so they may not have been notified. |
| Not Delivered with a red ! | It didn’t send. Tap the ! to try again. |
| Nothing (green bubble) | It was sent as an SMS text, which doesn’t support delivery or read status. |
| Typing dots | The person is writing a reply in iMessage right now. |
How to check if your message was read
- Open Messages and the conversation.
- Look under the most recent message you sent. The status only shows on your latest message, not on older ones.
- If you see Read, the time shows when they opened it. Tap the status on some versions to see the full date.
On an iPad or Mac signed in to the same Apple Account, the same status appears in Messages there too.
Why you can’t see whether someone read your text
- They turned off read receipts. Read receipts are off by default on iPhone, so many people never send them. You’ll only see Delivered.
- It’s a green-bubble SMS. Regular text messages don’t support read receipts. This happens when texting an Android phone without RCS, or when iMessage isn’t available.
- It’s a group chat. Group conversations don’t show who has read a message.
- They have a Focus on. You may see Delivered Quietly, and it won’t change to Read until they open the conversation.
- Their phone is off or offline. Messages stay unsent or undelivered until their device connects.
Read receipts with Android phones (RCS)
With iOS 18 and later, iPhones support RCS messaging with Android phones when the carrier supports it. RCS conversations show the label Text Message • RCS at the top, and they can show Delivered and Read like iMessage, as long as both people have read receipts turned on. To check that RCS is on, go to Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging.
How to turn read receipts on or off for yourself
For everyone
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps > Messages (or just Messages on iOS 17 and earlier).
- Turn Send Read Receipts on or off.
For one person
- Open the conversation in Messages.
- Tap the person’s name or photo at the top.
- Turn Send Read Receipts on or off.
The per-person setting overrides the general one, so you can keep read receipts off for everyone except, say, your partner or your boss.
Other ways to tell if a message was seen
- Typing indicator: The three dots mean they’re replying, which means they’ve seen your message.
- Tapbacks and replies: A heart, thumbs up or inline reply means they read it, even with read receipts off.
- Other apps: WhatsApp shows two blue check marks when a message is read, and Facebook Messenger shows the person’s profile picture under the last message they’ve seen. Both can be turned off by the other person too.
Is it bad manners to use read receipts?
That depends on the people you text. Read receipts set an expectation of a quick reply, which some people dislike. Others find them reassuring. If you want to know someone has seen something important, the per-person setting lets you share read receipts with just them, and you can ask them to do the same.
Related: turn off read receipts on an iPhone.
Related: why iMessages are blue and texts are green.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see if someone read my text if they turned off read receipts?
No. If they’ve turned off read receipts, you’ll only see Delivered, and there’s no setting or app that can reveal whether they opened it.
Does Read mean they read the whole message?
It means they opened the conversation. Someone can open a chat without reading every word, and a notification preview can be read without triggering Read.
Why does it say Delivered but not Read hours later?
They either haven’t opened the conversation yet or have read receipts off. Reading the message in a notification preview doesn’t mark it as read.
Can I see when someone read an older message?
No. The status appears only under the most recent message you sent in the conversation.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.