Read Receipt Android: How to Turn Text Message Read Receipts On or Off

If you want a text message read receipt on Android, open Google Messages, go to Messages settings → RCS chats, and switch Send read receipts on or off. If the conversation is still using SMS or MMS, read receipts will not appear.

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Oliver Jackson

Email Marketing Specialist

Michael Bodekaer
Reviewer

Founder, Board Member

Jose Lopez
Tester

Head of Growth Engineering

Authored By Oliver Jackson Email Marketing Specialist

Oliver is an accomplished email marketing specialist with more than a decade's worth of experience. His strategic and creative approach to email campaigns has driven significant growth and engagement for businesses across diverse industries. A thought leader in his field, Oliver is known for his insightful webinars and guest posts, where he shares his expert knowledge. His unique blend of skill, creativity, and understanding of audience dynamics make him a standout in the realm of email marketing.

Reviewed By Michael Bodekaer Founder, Board Member

Michael Bodekaer is a recognized authority in email management and productivity solutions, with over a decade of experience in simplifying communication workflows for individuals and businesses. As the co-founder of Mailbird and a TED speaker, Michael has been at the forefront of developing tools that revolutionize how users manage multiple email accounts. His insights have been featured in leading publications like TechRadar, and he is passionate about helping professionals adopt innovative solutions like unified inboxes, app integrations, and productivity-enhancing features to optimize their daily routines.

Tested By Jose Lopez Head of Growth Engineering

José López is a Web Consultant & Developer with over 25 years of experience in the field. He is a full-stack developer who specializes in leading teams, managing operations, and developing complex cloud architectures. With expertise in areas such as Project Management, HTML, CSS, JS, PHP, and SQL, José enjoys mentoring fellow engineers and teaching them how to build and scale web applications.

Read Receipt Android: How to Turn Text Message Read Receipts On or Off
Read Receipt Android: How to Turn Text Message Read Receipts On or Off

If you want a text message read receipt on Android, open Google Messages, go to Messages settings → RCS chats , and switch Send read receipts on or off. If the conversation is still using SMS or MMS, read receipts will not appear. [2] [3] [9]

What’s new

On Galaxy phones, Samsung’s US support pages now point users to Google Messages for RCS features like read receipts, so some people will need to switch apps before the setting shows up. [1] [6]

TL;DR

  • Turn read receipts on: Google Messages → profile picture → Messages settings → RCS chats → Send read receipts . [3]
  • Turn read receipts off: Use the same path and switch Send read receipts off. On older Samsung Messages setups, adjust Show when delivered or Show when read instead. [3] [7] [8]
  • Read receipts only work in RCS chats: if the conversation is using SMS or MMS, they will not appear. [2] [3] [9]
  • Galaxy users may need to switch apps: some people will need to move from Samsung Messages to Google Messages before the setting shows up. [1] [6]
  • Both people matter: both sides need RCS, and you only see another person’s read status if they share it. [2] [3]
  • Email is separate: email read receipts do not use the same setting as Android texts. [12] [13] [14] [16]

Some phones still label the menu Chat features instead of RCS chats . [3] [9]

Table of contents

Before you start

  • You need: An Android phone, an active number, and Wi-Fi or mobile data if you want RCS read receipts. [2]
  • Which app matters: Google Messages is where most people will find the setting now. On older supported Galaxy phones, Samsung Messages still has its own delivery and read toggles. [1] [6] [7] [8]
  • Time: The setting change takes only a few taps, but Samsung says older conversations can take up to about 24 hours to finish transferring after a switch on some Galaxy phones. [1] [6]
  • Privacy: If you turn read receipts on, your contacts can see when you open their messages. If you turn RCS off entirely, Google says you can lose chat features and may be removed from group chats. [2] [3]

How to turn on or off a text message read receipt on Android

How to turn on or off a text message read receipt on Android

  1. 1. Open your texting app

    If you are already in Google Messages, keep going. If you are on a Galaxy phone and still using Samsung Messages, jump to step 3 first. [1] [6]

  2. 2. Check that the chat uses RCS

    Open the conversation and confirm it is sending as RCS instead of SMS or MMS. Google says read receipts are part of RCS chats, not plain SMS or MMS texts. [2] [3] [9]

  3. 3. On Galaxy, switch to Google Messages if needed

    Open Google Messages, tap Set default SMS app , choose Google Messages , and confirm. Samsung says your existing messages become available in Google Messages after the switch, though some transfers can take time. [1] [6]

  4. 4. Turn on RCS chats

    In Google Messages, tap your profile picture or initial, open Messages settings , then RCS chats . Turn RCS on and wait until the status says Connected . If your phone shows Chat features , use that menu instead. [3]

  5. 5. Choose whether to send read receipts

    On the same RCS chats screen, turn Send read receipts on if you want contacts to see when you read a message. Turn it off if you want to keep RCS but stop sharing your read status. [2] [3]

  6. 6. Test one person first

    Send a short message to one contact and ask them to open it. Google says everyone in the conversation needs RCS for RCS features like read receipts to work, and you only see another person’s read status if they share it. [2] [3]

  7. 7. Read the status correctly

    In Google Messages, sent, delivered, and read icons show next to RCS messages. Those icons do not appear on SMS or MMS messages. [9]

  8. 8. Fix the basics if the chat falls back to SMS or MMS

    Confirm Google Messages is the default texting app, Wi-Fi or mobile data is on, Airplane mode is off, and your carrier supports RCS. If you recently changed messaging apps and stopped receiving texts, Google says you may need to turn off RCS chats on the old setup. [3] [5]

  9. 9. Use older Samsung toggles only on supported devices

    If you are on an older Samsung Messages setup, use More options → Settings → More settings → Text messages → Show when delivered for delivery reports, or More settings → Multimedia messages → Show when read for Samsung’s older read behavior. Samsung says these instructions apply where Samsung Messages is still supported, typically Android 11 or older. [1] [7] [8]

How to turn read receipts off on Android

In Google Messages, go to your profile picture → Messages settings → RCS chats and switch Send read receipts off. On older Samsung Messages setups, adjust Show when delivered or Show when read instead. [3] [7] [8]

Why this works

Android does not have one universal read-receipt switch. A text message read receipt on Android depends on the messaging app and protocol: usually RCS in Google Messages today, or older per-app settings in Samsung Messages. Email read receipts are separate again because mail apps and mail systems handle them differently. [2] [3] [7] [12]

Need email read receipts too?

Text settings on Android do not control email, and email read receipts are handled by the mail system or email client instead. [12] For email, Mailbird is a cross-platform desktop client for Windows and Mac. Its Read Receipts / Email Tracking tools are built for this workflow, and Mailbird Next lets you toggle tracking in Settings → Privacy Hub . [13] [14] [15] [16]

Download Mailbird

Troubleshooting Android read receipts

Symptom Likely cause Fix
RCS is stuck on “Connecting” or “Trouble connecting” Your number is still verifying, or your carrier does not support RCS on that setup Give verification time, then recheck signal and data. If it still fails, confirm carrier support, use Submit feedback in Google Messages, or contact your carrier. [3] [5] [9]
Your toggle is on, but one person never shows as read That person is not using RCS, or they turned read receipts off Test with another RCS contact. Both sides need RCS, and the other person has to share read receipts for you to see theirs. [2] [3]
Your messages keep sending as SMS or MMS RCS is not connected, or you lost Wi-Fi or mobile data Reconnect to data or Wi-Fi, reopen the thread, and check the RCS status again. [3] [5] [9]
You switched from iPhone and now miss texts from Apple users Your number is still registered with iMessage Turn off iMessage on the old iPhone, or use Apple’s online deregistration tool if you no longer have that phone. [10] [11]
You see “delivered,” but never “read” You enabled delivery reports instead of read receipts Use Google Messages RCS read receipts, or on supported older Samsung Messages setups, switch on Show when read under Multimedia messages . [7] [8] [9]
Group chats behave differently from one-to-one chats Not everyone has RCS, or the group is using MMS Test read receipts in a one-to-one chat first. If that works, rebuild the group in Google Messages with RCS where possible. [2] [7] [9]

Common Android read receipt scenarios

Newer Galaxy phone

Samsung’s US support pages direct many Galaxy users to Google Messages for RCS features like read receipts. If you switch, Samsung says your existing messages become available in Google Messages, though older conversations may take time to finish transferring. [1] [6]

Older Galaxy phone with Samsung Messages

If your device still supports Samsung Messages, open More settings for either Text messages → Show when delivered or Multimedia messages → Show when read . Samsung says functions can vary by carrier and software version. [1] [7] [8]

Android-to-iPhone texting

Read receipts can work between Android and iPhone in supported one-to-one RCS chats. Google says Android-to-iPhone RCS chats can show read receipts, and Apple says iPhone needs iOS 18 plus a carrier that supports RCS. [4] [9]

Privacy-first setup

If you want richer chat features but do not want people to know exactly when you read a message, leave RCS on and switch Send read receipts off. [3]

Email instead of text messages

If your real goal is email, remember that email read receipts depend on the mail system and the recipient can decline them in some setups. For desktop email, Mailbird is the separate tool built for read receipts and tracking . [12] [13] [14] [16]

Before you switch apps or set this up on multiple phones

  • Back up or transfer first: Before you change the default app on a Galaxy phone, follow Samsung’s transfer or backup steps so old conversations stay available. [6]
  • Free storage if needed: If Google Messages warns about low space, clear storage before deeper troubleshooting. [5]
  • Set up one device at a time: Wait for each phone’s RCS status to show Connected before moving to the next one. For Galaxy watches and tablets, Samsung also requires the same Samsung account and the right Messages settings. [3] [6]

What can change by phone, carrier, and region

RCS availability still varies by device, region, and carrier. Some phones still label the menu Chat features instead of RCS chats . Apple also says iPhone RCS depends on region and carrier, and Samsung’s Samsung Messages notice comes from its US support pages. [1] [3] [4] [9]

To verify

Open Google Messages, tap your profile icon, go to Messages settings , and open RCS chats . If the status says Connected and Send read receipts matches your choice, you are set. [3]

Quick checklist

  • Google Messages is my default texting app.
  • RCS chats is turned on.
  • The RCS status says Connected.
  • Send read receipts matches my privacy choice.
  • My test contact also uses RCS.
  • The chat is not sending as SMS or MMS.
  • If I switched from iPhone, iMessage is turned off or deregistered.
  • For email, I use a separate desktop tool such as Mailbird.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn on a text message read receipt on Android?

Open Google Messages, tap your profile icon, go to Messages settings , open RCS chats , and switch on Send read receipts .

Sources: [3]

How do I turn read receipts off on Android?

Use the same path in Google Messages and switch Send read receipts off. On older Samsung Messages setups, adjust Show when delivered or Show when read instead.

Sources: [3] [7] [8]

Why don’t I see read receipts in every chat?

Some conversations are still using SMS or MMS, some contacts do not have RCS, and some people do not share read receipts.

Sources: [2] [3] [9]

Do both people need RCS for read receipts to work?

Yes. Both sides need RCS, and if you want to see the other person’s read status, they also need to share read receipts.

Sources: [2] [3]

Can Android and iPhone show read receipts to each other now?

They can in supported one-to-one RCS chats, as long as the iPhone side has RCS available and enabled through a supported carrier.

Sources: [4] [9]

Can I keep RCS on but turn read receipts off?

Yes. Leave RCS on for chat features and switch only Send read receipts off.

Sources: [3]

What’s the difference between delivered and read?

Delivered means the message arrived. Read means the app recorded that the message was opened.

Sources: [8] [9]

Why did my Android stop getting iPhone texts after I switched phones?

Your number may still be registered with iMessage, so Apple users are still sending to the old iPhone path instead of your Android phone.

Sources: [10] [11]

Do email read receipts use the same setting as Android texts?

No. Email read receipts are separate and depend on the mail system or email client, not the Google Messages text setting.

Sources: [12] [13] [14] [16]