How to Turn Off Blue Ticks on WhatsApp Android
Blue ticks on WhatsApp tell the sender you have read their message — and they tell everyone exactly when you read it. If you would rather read messages in your own time without that pressure, you can turn the blue ticks off in about five seconds. Here is how to turn off blue ticks on WhatsApp Android, and the one trade-off you should know before you do it.
The setting is called Read receipts, and it lives in WhatsApp's Privacy settings. Turning it off is free, instant, and easy to reverse. But it works both ways: once it is off, you stop seeing blue ticks on other people's messages too. There is no way to hide your own read receipts while still seeing theirs.
What Do the Ticks Mean?
Before changing anything, here is what each tick means on WhatsApp:
- One grey tick: your message left your phone and reached WhatsApp's servers.
- Two grey ticks: the message was delivered to the other person's phone.
- Two blue ticks: the other person opened the chat and read your message.
Blue ticks are simply read receipts. Turning them off does not stop messages from being delivered — senders will still see two grey ticks, so they know the message arrived, just not that you opened it.
How to Turn Off Blue Ticks on WhatsApp Android
Follow these steps on your Android phone. The change takes effect immediately, and there is nothing to save.
- Open WhatsApp on your Android phone.
- Tap the three dots (More options) in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Tap Settings in the menu that appears.
- Tap Privacy to open your privacy settings.
- Find Read receipts in the list and switch the toggle off.
That is the whole change. From now on, messages you read in one-to-one chats will stay on two grey ticks for the sender, even after you have opened and read them. The same setting also applies to WhatsApp Web and Desktop, because those follow the privacy setting on your phone — there is no separate toggle there.
On older versions of WhatsApp, the path had an extra step — Settings, then Account, then Privacy. On current versions, Privacy sits directly under Settings. If you do not see Privacy right away, update WhatsApp from the Play Store and try again.
The Trade-Off: It Works Both Ways
This is the part most guides leave out. Read receipts are reciprocal by design. The moment you turn them off, WhatsApp also stops showing you blue ticks on the messages you send. You will see two grey ticks on your own messages even after the other person has read them.
Ask yourself which matters more: reading messages without pressure, or knowing when others have read yours. If you often wait on replies for work or family, losing the blue ticks on your own messages can be annoying. If privacy matters more, the trade is worth it — and you can turn the setting back on any time by following the same steps.
What Still Shows Blue Ticks
Turning off Read receipts does not hide everything. Three things stay visible:
1. Group chats always show read receipts
The setting has no effect on group chats at all. In a group, messages still turn blue once everyone has read them, and you can still see who has read a message by long-pressing it and tapping Info. WhatsApp does not let you turn this off for groups.
2. Voice messages still show blue ticks when played
Voice notes work differently. When someone listens to your voice message, the microphone icon turns blue even with Read receipts off, and the same applies to voice messages you receive. WhatsApp treats voice message plays separately, and there is no setting to disable them.
3. Status views can change too
Turning off Read receipts can also affect Status. You may lose the ability to see who has viewed your status, and others may no longer see when you have viewed theirs. If you use Status a lot, keep this in mind.
Can You Turn Off Blue Ticks for One Person Only?
No. The Read receipts setting is global for all your one-to-one chats — you cannot switch it off for one contact and keep it on for everyone else. If you only want privacy from one person, your options are reading their messages from the notification shade without opening the chat, or muting and archiving the chat so you check it on your own schedule.
One trick you will see online is reading messages in Airplane Mode: turn on Airplane Mode, open the message, then close WhatsApp before turning the connection back on. This is unreliable — WhatsApp can send the read receipt as soon as the phone reconnects, even if the app is closed. The official Read receipts toggle is the only reliable way.
How to Turn Blue Ticks Back On
Changed your mind? Open WhatsApp, tap the three dots, then Settings > Privacy, and switch Read receipts back on. Blue ticks return immediately for new messages. The change does not apply backwards — messages sent while the setting was off stay grey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the other person know I turned off read receipts?
WhatsApp does not send a notification about it. But the other person may notice: your ticks will never turn blue for them, even when you reply to their messages, which usually means read receipts are off.
Do blue ticks turn off for group chats too?
No. Group chats always show read receipts, even with the setting off. Voice messages also still show blue ticks when played. The setting only covers one-to-one text chats.
Can I still see when someone is online or typing?
Yes. Turning off Read receipts does not affect the "online" status or the "typing..." indicator. Those are controlled by separate settings under Privacy, where you can choose who sees your Last seen and online status.
Also read: How to Turn Off Active Status on Instagram (Hide the Green Dot) — the same kind of privacy fix for Instagram. Which WhatsApp privacy setting confuses you most? Tell us in the comments.
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