iOS 5 Tip: Enable iMessage’s Read Receipt Feature
October 12, 2011
iOS 5′s iMessage feature allows you to see whether the other person using an i-device (also with iOS 5) has received or even read your message. Heck, it even shows you whether the other person is typing!
However, the read / typing feature is turned off as default, and you’d only be able to see if your message was delivered.
To turn this feature on, simply go to Setting / Messages and turn on the “Send Read Receipts” option.
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October 12, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Thanks I have not seen this before. Please view my blog for more iPhone and Technology news!
October 16, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Help! When I send an iMessage to someone I cannot tell if they have read my message. It only tells me that it has been “delivered”. I’ve tried with two different friends and they both have their “send read receipts” on; as do I. I have a 3GS… does this feature not work for them?
Thank you!
October 16, 2011 at 12:17 pm
That’s odd! Try with a friend who has a newer iPhone and see what happens? I haven’t heard of this problem before.
October 21, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Samantha I have the same problem, Ive turned on read receipts and my messages never change to read when people read them, its always stock in delivered, and people I talk they have turned on read receipts. By the way I have and ipod touch 4G.
October 21, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Have you tried rebooting? How about turning read back off then back on? This is very puzzling …
November 29, 2011 at 12:50 am
Me too!
iPod 4g rocks
November 29, 2011 at 7:48 am
IpodLover – make sure that each of your friends / family ALSO have iOS 5 as well as have iMessage’s read feature turned on. Must be a two-way street!
November 29, 2011 at 10:51 am
Proudgeek—-
Yes the person apparently has iOS 5 and it’s turned on. Mine is also
Perhaps I could try texting with you?
November 29, 2011 at 11:03 am
IpodLover — hmm, strange. Try restarting each of the iDevices involved? I would druther keep my personal contact info private ;)
November 29, 2011 at 11:18 am
How would you reboot iMessage?
November 29, 2011 at 11:21 am
Meant rebooting each iPod / iPhone themselves by holding down the power button till you get a message asking to confirm powering off the device. Then after it completely turns off, press the power button again till you see the Apple logo. But honestly, other than this (and making sure everyone has Read Receipt turned on), I don’t know why several commentators including you are having problems getting Read Receipt when iMessaging with other folks … Growl.
November 29, 2011 at 8:27 pm
Okay. I will try that
November 29, 2011 at 12:47 am
Hey.
Yes It should work. My friend has as 3GS and try rebooting and turning iMessage off. I am having the same problem with my iPod Touch 4G and I know it works!
Any help for my iPod touch?
February 18, 2012 at 3:06 am
The other persons iMessage Send Read Receipts has to be turned on also.
October 16, 2011 at 8:21 pm
I do not get read reciepts either and the setting is on
October 16, 2011 at 8:23 pm
Aidan – which iPhone do you have?
October 17, 2011 at 3:55 am
The read receipts option is for SMS; it has nothing to do with iMessages. There are many devices out there that support read receipts.
October 17, 2011 at 6:34 am
Ran – if “Read Receipt” is off, then people who use iMessage only see “delivered” and cannot see whether the other person is typing. With “Read Receipt” on, iMessage users can see “read” and whether other people are typing.
October 18, 2011 at 6:15 am
i have an iphone 4 and have ‘read receipts’ enabled however my iMessage only shows ‘delivered’ and never ‘read’. Have been iMessaging people and their phones show ‘read’.. anyone?
October 18, 2011 at 6:18 am
That’s strange. I have an iPhone 4 and this Read feature has worked for me and everyone else I’ve been iMessage’ing with. Perhaps reboot? Verify that the other person DOES have Read Receipt enabled?
October 18, 2011 at 6:47 am
The read receipt is for the other person to know that you have read their message; it will show up on their phone under the message where it typically said delivered. Apple is all about privacy so they must enable it for you to see their read receipt and for it to show up on your iMessage.
October 23, 2011 at 11:34 pm
ok so I am totally confused! Do I have to buy an iMessage app or what because I can not figure out for the life of me how to use this feature and my send receipt thing is on and I still cant see when people are typing me a message
October 24, 2011 at 8:10 am
Ashley – no, iMessage is built into your Messages app – the same one you use for sending SMS (text messages). If you have upgrade to iOS 5, then the Messages app will automatically detect if the person you’re messaging with is using iOS 5 too (after the first new message to that person). Then your subsequent messages will be automatically sent as iMessages – colored blue – and you’d be able to see if the message was delivered and read (if the other person has enabled read receipt too).
October 24, 2011 at 4:28 pm
I have an iPhone 4 and I have that issue with iMessage as well. I have rebooted the phone and still does it. Mine however works for some people. And I can see at all times if that person is typing regardless of whether or not I get a “read” notification or not. I only have one friend that the “read” works on and her settings are the same as everyone else’s. And everyone else also has an iPhone 4.
October 25, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Hey guys I downloaded the new software today and the imessaging isn’t working as it should be. Like the messages arent blue, the send receipts dont work at all and my gf cnt see wen her texts to me hav been delivered n read etc. But it works fine for her with two other people n one has an iphone 4 like me.
Any suggestions on wat i could do?
October 28, 2011 at 12:53 pm
hah. grant, did your girlfriend take over typing for you mid-message? you suddenly started writing like a 14 year old girl.
October 31, 2011 at 10:48 pm
What constitutes a read message? Do you actually have to open the text or does reading it in the preview and then closing also count as read since you can technically see the message?
November 1, 2011 at 9:47 am
Lenni – reading it in the Notifications preview does NOT make this a “Read” message. You have to actually open the Messages app and view this message (or its thread) to mark it as “Read” (send a Read Receipt).
November 3, 2011 at 11:42 am
You’re all getting this backwards. Enabling read reciepts does NOT inform you when other people have read your message, it informs other people when you have read theirs.
If you want to get the “read” notifications yourself, you’ll need to ask other people to enable the feature on their phones.
November 29, 2011 at 12:42 am
I have iPod touch 4g and iOS 5 installed.
I am texting friends/family and it doesn’t show
“read” I turned on send read receipts on and
I can see the person typing. Only once, I have seen the “read” sign.
Does it not work on iPod touch?
I tried rebooting it and still didn’t work.
Thank You!!! ;-)
January 14, 2012 at 5:14 am
Is there a way to check if my message has been read even if the other person doesn’t have send receipts enabled? Having a fight and I am not in a position to ask her to enable it, but I would like to see when she read my message. Is there any hack or trick to it? I apologize if my question comes off as strange.
January 14, 2012 at 8:22 am
Sorry to hear about the fight :( None that I know of, even on jailbroken devices. You might be able to see “…” though. The other alternative is to switch (and convince the other person to do so too) to a different messaging app that has read receipt built in too.
January 14, 2012 at 8:47 am
Does this future cost say if your on contract. Because SMS read receipts cost for me so does this iMessage feature cost?
Thanks
January 14, 2012 at 9:08 am
No charge for using iMessage, since it uses data and not SMS.
February 5, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Hi I was messaging someone on iMessage and then they said that they can see my conversation with a friend, is this possible?
February 6, 2012 at 7:57 am
Kate – not possible, unless you’re group messaging. If you were, you’d have seen “2 recipients” (or more) in the To: field at the top of the iMessage conversation.