Can You Turn Off Read Receipts on Telegram?

No, Telegram has no setting that turns off read receipts. When someone opens your message, it gets two ticks, and when you open theirs, they see two ticks, on every device. What you can hide is the exact time you read a message, which is linked to your last seen setting.

This short guide explains what Telegram shows about reading, what you can and cannot hide in private chats and groups, and the honest options if you want less pressure to reply.

What Telegram shows when you read a message

Telegram uses ticks next to each message you send:

• One tick means the message reached Telegram's servers.
• Two ticks mean the other person has opened the chat and the message was displayed to them.

Our guide to one tick and two ticks explains the system in full, including what it means in groups.

In private chats, Telegram can also show when a message was read, not just that it was. If you open the menu on a message you sent, a read time may appear. Telegram introduced this as "read time" in private chats, and its blog explained that read times are only kept for a limited period after the message is sent.

So there are two separate pieces of information:

1. That you read the message: the two ticks. This cannot be turned off.
2. When you read it: the read time. This can be hidden.

Hiding your read time

Read time is controlled together with your last seen status, in the privacy settings.

On Android

1. Open the menu and go to Settings.
2. Tap Privacy and Security.
3. Tap Last Seen and Online.
4. Choose who can see your last seen: Everybody, My Contacts or Nobody, and add exceptions if needed.
5. Look for the option to hide read time. When you restrict your last seen, Telegram offers to hide your read time from the same people.

On iPhone

1. Open Settings and tap Privacy and Security.
2. Tap Last Seen and Online.
3. Set who can see it and look for the hide read time option on the same screen.

On Telegram Desktop and Web

The same setting appears under privacy and security in the app's settings. Menu names can vary slightly between versions; if you cannot find it, change it on your phone, as privacy settings apply to your whole account.

The trade-off Telegram builds in

Telegram applies a fairness rule. Its announcement explained that if you hide your last seen or read time, you also lose the ability to see other people's. If nobody can see when you read their messages, you cannot see when they read yours either.

The exception is Telegram Premium. Premium users can hide their own read time and still see the read times of people who share theirs. Premium does not override anyone else's choice: if a person hides their read time from you, it stays hidden whether you have Premium or not. Our comparison of Telegram Premium vs free lists this alongside the other Premium features.

What hiding read time does not do

Hiding read time does not remove the two ticks. The other person still sees that the message was read; they just do not see exactly when. For many people that is enough, because the pressure usually comes from "you read it two hours ago and did not reply", not from the ticks themselves.

Groups: who read your message

In groups, read receipts work differently.

• Two ticks on your message in a group mean at least one other member has read it, not everyone.
• In small groups, you can open the menu on a message you sent and see which members have read it, and when. Telegram's announcement put the cutoff at groups with fewer than 100 members, and said these receipts are kept for a limited time after the message is sent, so the list disappears for older messages.
• In large groups, there is no list of readers.

There is no member setting that removes you from the "seen by" list in small groups in all cases. If this matters to you, keep in mind that in small groups others may see that you read their message.

Channels: views, not receipts

Channels do not have read receipts. A channel post shows a view count, the number of times it has been seen, but never who saw it. Subscribers cannot see each other, and owners cannot see which subscribers read a post. If you want to know more about what owners and members see, read who can see you in Telegram channels and groups.

Things that look like read receipt settings but are not

Several features are sometimes mistaken for a way to turn off receipts.

Mark as unread

You can mark a chat as unread in your chat list, for example by long-pressing it and choosing the option. This puts the unread dot back for you, as a reminder. It does not undo the two ticks the sender already sees.

Muting and archiving

Muting stops notifications. Archiving moves the chat out of your main list. Neither changes ticks.

Notification previews

Telegram shows message text in notifications if your notification settings allow previews. Seeing a preview does not open the chat, so it does not mark the message as read. This is simply how notifications work on every messaging app, not a hidden setting. If you prefer that message content never appears on your lock screen, you can turn previews off in Telegram's notification settings, which also means you have to open the chat to read anything.

Last seen alone

Hiding your last seen hides when you were online. It does not hide ticks. Combined with hiding read time, it gives the most privacy Telegram offers about your reading habits. Our guide to what "last seen recently" means explains the approximate labels others see when you hide your status.

Why Telegram does not let you turn receipts off

Telegram has not published a full explanation, but the design follows a clear logic. Ticks tell the sender that a message was delivered and seen, which is useful for practical messages: an address, a meeting time, a warning. Removing them completely would make every message uncertain. The read time, on the other hand, is detail that can create social pressure without adding much practical value, so that is the part users can hide.

Setting expectations instead

If what you really want is freedom to read now and reply later, settings only go so far. A few habits work better:

1. Hide your read time and last seen, so people cannot see exactly when you read their messages.
2. Tell close contacts how you use Telegram, for example that you read messages during the day and reply in the evening.
3. Use an away message if you have Telegram Premium with business features, so people get an automatic reply when you are unavailable.
4. Use scheduled messages to write a reply now and send it at a better time.
5. Mute busy chats, so you open them when you choose rather than when they ping.

Worked examples

These are example situations to show how the settings combine.

Example: hiding read time but keeping ticks

Elena sets her last seen to My Contacts and hides her read time from everyone. A colleague who is not in her contacts sees two ticks when she reads his message, but cannot see the time and sees an approximate last seen status. In return, Elena can no longer see the colleague's read times.

Example: a Premium user

Tom has Premium and hides his read time. He can still see read times from friends who share theirs. A friend who hides hers stays hidden to him, Premium or not.

Example: a small project group

In a team group with a dozen members, Sara posts a deadline. Opening the message menu shows which colleagues have read it. She uses it to follow up with those who have not, rather than asking the whole group.

What to do next

1. Decide whose read times you want to share. Contacts only is a common middle ground.
2. Set your last seen and read time together, since Telegram links them.
3. Add exceptions for people who should always or never see your status, such as family or a former colleague.
4. Check the other privacy settings while you are there: profile photo, phone number, calls and who can add you to groups.
5. If unread chats still feel like pressure, mute the busiest ones and set a time of day to catch up.

A few minutes on these settings usually does more for your peace of mind than any search for a hidden switch.

Common mistakes

• Expecting a switch to remove the ticks. Telegram does not offer one. You can hide the read time, not the fact of reading.
• Thinking mark as unread hides anything. It only changes your own chat list.
• Assuming Premium reveals hidden read times. It does not override other people's privacy choices.
• Forgetting the fairness rule. Hiding your read time hides others' read times from you, unless you have Premium.
• Using unofficial apps that promise "ghost mode". They are a common route for account theft, and Telegram's own settings already cover what can safely be hidden.

FAQ

Can I stop people seeing that I read their message on Telegram?

Not completely. Opening a chat marks messages as read and the sender sees two ticks. You can hide when you read it by hiding your read time in the last seen settings.

If I hide my read time, can I still see others' read times?

Not on a free account. Telegram hides other people's read times from you in return. With Telegram Premium you can hide yours and still see read times from people who share theirs.

Does hiding last seen turn off read receipts?

No. Last seen controls whether others see when you were online. Ticks remain. Hiding your read time is a separate option on the same settings screen.

Can people see who read their message in a group?

In small groups, yes: the sender can open the message menu and see which members read it. In larger groups, there is no list, and the ticks only mean someone has read it.

Do channels show who read a post?

No. Channels show a view count but never who viewed a post.

Is there a read receipt notification?

No. Telegram does not send a notice when you read a message. The sender only sees the ticks, and the read time if you have not hidden it. For what else Telegram does and does not notify, see does Telegram notify when you save a photo, join a group or read a message.

Summary

Telegram does not let you turn off read receipts: when you open a chat, the sender sees two ticks. You can hide the time you read a message by restricting your last seen and hiding read time in privacy settings, at the cost of not seeing others' read times unless you have Premium. Small groups show who read a message, large groups and channels do not. For the full set of options, work through our privacy settings checklist.