The Google Messages application contains an option that gives you a little more discretion: it disables the mention “seen” in your exchanges. Thus, you will no longer tell your contacts when and if you have seen their SMS.
Google’s SMS app provides advanced options for interacting with contacts. Among the features are indications that you may not want to share, or no longer want to share, such as sending read receipts (the “seen” mention) or the indicator that you are writing text.
This is understandable: you may have read a message to which you intend to reply later, or not at all, but without leaving the person on the other end of the “wire” with the indication “read” and nothing other. Maybe you don’t want to look like you’ve seen a message and don’t care. But Google Messages allows you to disable these options.
Hide read receipt in Google Messages
- Launch the Google Messages app on your smartphone;
- Click on your portrait at the top right;
- Choose ” Messages app settings ” in the window ;
- Go to ” Chat Features » ;
- Find the line ” Send read receipts » ;
- Uncheck the option and that’s it!
We have outlined in orange the path to follow to find the option cutting off the sending of read receipts in Google Messages. By the way, we’ve also flagged another option just below that you might want to turn off as well: the typing indicator. This is a small notification that appears when someone types their message when you see it.
Other applications also make it possible to hide this kind of indication. This is the case for example of WhatsApp, which also gives the possibility of hiding the “seen” mention of your messages. Instant messaging also provides an option to hide its “last online presence” status. In the case of Messenger, you have to follow a rather special strategy.
