The double blue ticks in WhatsApp is a seemingly small feature that confirms your message has been delivered and read by the recipient. While often helpful, these little indicators can sometimes feel like a source of pressure to respond instantly, potentially impacting your privacy and peace of mind. If you’ve ever wished for a way to read messages discreetly without knowing the sender, then take a quick look at this guide. Here, we will explain the simple steps to disable those blue ticks in WhatsApp, along with some useful tips and alternative methods to reclaim your message-reading autonomy in WhatsApp.
Before getting straight to the point, here is a small explanation of WhatsApp message statuses:
Let’s understand what each tick means:
- Single Grey Tick – The message has been sent from your phone (delivered to the server) but not yet delivered to the recipient.
- Double Grey Ticks – Message has been delivered to the recipient’s device but not read.
- Double Blue Ticks – Message has been read by the recipient.
In short: You send a message → Single grey tick (sent) → Double grey ticks (delivered) → Double blue ticks (received and read).
#Video Tutorial – How To Disable Blue Tick Marks in WhatsApp:
Why Do People Want to Disable Blue Ticks?
There are several reasons why users choose to turn off blue ticks:
- Reduce pressure to respond immediately – Gives you time to reply without the other person expecting an instant response.
- Enhanced privacy – Lets you read messages without notifying the sender.
- Avoid misunderstandings – Prevents unnecessary tension from unread or unanswered messages.
- Take control of your messaging – Allows you to engage with conversations on your own terms.
Now, let’s get into the details of how to disable these blue ticks in WhatsApp.
How To Hide Blue Ticks in WhatsApp
The process is quite similar on both Android and iPhone, with only minor differences in accessing the WhatsApp Settings:
Steps:
- Open WhatsApp on your smartphone.
- On iPhone: Tap the “Settings” icon in the bottom-right corner.
- On Android: Tap the three vertical dots (⋮) in the top-right corner, then tap “Settings”.
- Go to “Privacy” and tap on it.
- Scroll down to find the “Read Receipts” option (this is where you can control the blue tick marks).
- Toggle off the Read Receipts switch, and this will disable blue ticks in WhatsApp chats.
- That’s it! You’ve successfully turned off the blue ticks in WhatsApp.
Note: When you turn off read receipts:
- Others won’t see if you’ve read their messages in the private chats.
- You also won’t be able to see when others read your messages.
- This setting does not apply to group chats – blue ticks will still be visible there.
- This setting does not affect voice messages – senders can still see if you’ve played their audio messages.
- You can re-enable this feature anytime by toggling Read Receipts back on (Open WhatsApp -> Settings -> Privacy -> turn on Read Receipts).
Alternative Ways to Avoid Triggering Blue Ticks in WhatsApp Chats
If you don’t want to disable read receipts permanently, here are a few clever workarounds that you can try out to read messages without alerting the sender:
-
Airplane Mode
- Turn on Airplane Mode on your smartphone (Android or iPhone) Settings before opening the message.
- This disconnects your internet, allowing you to read your WhatsApp messages without triggering blue ticks.
- Once you turn Airplane Mode off and reopen WhatsApp, the message status will update, and blue ticks may appear.
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Notifications Panel
- When you receive a new WhatsApp message, read it directly from the notification bar without opening WhatsApp.
- This doesn’t mark the message as ready or display a blue tick.
- This works best for short messages that fully display in the notification preview.
-
WhatsApp Widgets (Android only)
- Add a WhatsApp Chat Widget to your home screen.
- It lets you preview recent messages/chats without opening the app, keeping the blue ticks from being triggered until you open the chat manually.
Do Blue Ticks Work in WhatsApp Business API?
Yes, but with some distinctions.
- In WhatsApp Business API, blue ticks indicate that the customer has read the message.
- However, the focus in Business API is more on delivery statuses (e.g., sent, delivered) rather than individual read receipts.
- It is optimized for scalability and automation, making blue ticks less prominent compared to personal chats.
FAQs:
No. Currently, WhatsApp does not offer the option to disable blue ticks for selected contacts—it applies to all chats equally.
No. Once you disable read receipts, you won’t be able to see if others have read your messages either. It’s a mutual setting, and you need to turn on read receipts to see blue ticks.
No, blue ticks cannot be disabled in group chats. All group members will still see when a message has been read.
No. WhatsApp does not notify the sender if you disable read receipts. However, they might guess based on the lack of blue ticks.
No. Read receipts and last seen/online status are separate settings. Turning off read receipts only affects blue ticks, not your visibility status.
No. WhatsApp does not currently offer scheduled or timed control over read receipts. It’s a manual toggle that stays on or off until you change it.
Yes. If you disable read receipts, blue ticks won’t appear even when you view media (photos, videos, documents) in private chats.
Conclusion
Disabling blue ticks in WhatsApp is a simple but effective way to regain control, privacy, and peace of mind while messaging. Whether you want to avoid pressure, reduce social anxiety, or just manage your communication more consciously, this feature empowers you to do so. We hope this guide helped you understand how to hide blue ticks in WhatsApp and explore alternative options. Have questions? Drop them in the comments below—we’ll be happy to help!
