How do I turn off read receipts on Android?
Open the Google Messages app, tap your profile picture or initial at the top right, then Messages settings. Tap RCS chats (on some phones, Chat features) and turn off Send read receipts. People can then no longer see when you have read their messages. This works the same on Samsung, Pixel, and Motorola.
Steps to check
Open Google Messages
Open the Messages app you use for texts and stay on the main list of conversations.
- Samsung Samsung Messages is no longer supported on Galaxy phones with Android 12 or newer, and Samsung recommends Google Messages instead. If you still use the older Samsung Messages app, open it and tap Open Google Messages when it asks, or install Google Messages from the Play Store and set it as your default texting app.
- Pixel Google Messages comes installed and is already your texting app.
- Motorola To check which app handles your texts, go to Settings → Apps → Default apps → SMS app. If another app is chosen there, the steps below will not match until you pick Messages (Google Messages).
Go to Messages settings
Tap your profile picture or initial at the top right of the screen. Then tap Messages settings.
Open RCS chats
Tap RCS chats. If you do not see RCS chats, tap Chat features instead. This is the area for the newer chat-style texting that shows read receipts and typing dots.
Turn off Send read receipts
Tap the switch next to Send read receipts so it turns off. You do not need to save anything. From now on, the people you text in RCS chats will not see when you have read their messages.
Optional: turn off typing indicators too
On the same screen, you can turn off Show typing indicators. That stops the other person from seeing the moving dots while you write a reply.
Still not working?
- If you cannot find Send read receipts, check that you are in Google Messages and not another texting app. On Samsung, look for the Google Messages app in the Google folder on the Apps screen.
- If the RCS chats screen does not say Connected, chat features are not active on your phone yet, so read receipts are not being sent anyway. Google's help says to wait if it shows Connecting, and to contact your carrier if it says RCS chats are disabled by your carrier.
- If you only want to hide read receipts from one person, Google's help describes one setting that covers all your RCS chats. We could not find an official option for a single conversation.
- Avoid turning RCS chats off completely just to hide read receipts. Google warns that switching RCS chats off and on can remove you from group chats.
- If someone says they still see that you read a message, ask whether the message was sent before you changed the setting, and check that the switch is still off.
Why this happens
Read receipts are part of RCS chats, the newer kind of texting in Google Messages. When both people have RCS chats turned on, the app can show when a message was delivered, when it was read, and when someone is typing.
Plain text messages (SMS and MMS) never send read receipts. If the box where you type says Text message instead of RCS message, the other person cannot see when you read it.
Normal vs. not
Usually normal
You may still see that someone read your message. That depends on their own Send read receipts setting, not yours.
Worth a closer look
The Send read receipts switch keeps turning itself back on. Update Google Messages from the Play Store, and contact your carrier if RCS chats will not stay connected.
Common questions
- Will the other person know I turned off read receipts?
- The app does not send them a message about it. They simply stop seeing when you have read their texts.
- Can I turn off read receipts for just one person?
- Google's help only shows one Send read receipts setting for all RCS chats, so it applies to everyone you chat with.
- Do read receipts work when I text an iPhone?
- Only in RCS chats. If the conversation shows Text message or SMS, the message goes as a plain text and no read receipt is sent. For group texts with iPhone users, see why you may not get iPhone group texts.
Related questions
Sources we checked
- Turn on RCS chats in Google Messages (Google Messages Help)
- How RCS chats keep your conversations secure (Google Messages Help)
- Samsung Messages discontinuation: Switch to Google Messages (Samsung Support)
- Switch to Google Messages on your Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet (Samsung Support)
- Change default messaging app (moto g 2026) (Motorola Help)
Menu names can differ by phone brand and Android version. See our editorial policy for how we check steps.