How Do iMessage Read Receipts Work?

There seems to be a lot of confusion about how read receipts work with Messages. This FAQ should hopefully help resolve some of those questions.

What is a read receipt?

A read receipt is a small piece of text with a timestamp that appears under the most recent message the recipient has sent, after you've viewed the message.

Can read receipts be sent in all chats?

Not all- read receipts (as well as the 'Delivered' confirmation and the option to 'Edit' and 'Unsend' messages) are only shown when iMessage is enabled (blue bubbles). Chats with non-Apple phones and/or those using SMS/MMS (green bubbles) will therefore show no read receipts, regardless of settings.

When is a read receipt sent?

A read receipt is sent when you open the message thread of another individual person, with whom you've enabled read receipts. Read receipts are never sent in group messages, even if everyone involved has an iPhone.

What happens when I send a read receipt?

The recipient sees the text under their message bubble change from 'Delivered' to 'Read [timestamp]'.

What happens when I don't send a read receipt?

The text under their message bubble remains as 'Delivered' and does not change.

How do I start/stop sending read receipts for everyone?

Open Settings > Messages, then scroll down to the 'Send Read Receipts' toggle. This will enable or disable it for everyone. If you just want to do it for one person or a few people...

How do I start/stop sending read receipts for just one person/a few people?

Open the Messages app, open the conversation with the person, then click their picture/name at the top. You should see a toggle for 'Send Read Receipts'.

How do I get read receipts for when someone reads my messages?

You can't (aside from asking them). You can only control if you send read receipts, not other users.

What if I open someone's message on a different device of mine?

Whether or not a read receipt is sent will depend on the individual settings for that device.

What if I open someone's message and then disable read receipts for that person before they respond?

The read receipt will be sent when you open the message, and remain even after disabling it. If you keep read receipts off, however, no future read receipts will be shown to that person.

I used to get read receipts and now I'm not! Am I blocked? Does this person hate me forever?

Sometimes read receipts behave funnily when Internet connection is limited. As long as the message bubble is blue and says 'Delivered', you're not blocked. The last question is beyond the scope of this writeup and is best discussed with your conversation partner.