Instagram users will soon be able to turn off read receipts

Meta has also been working on enabling end-to-end encryption by default for Messenger by the end of 2023

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Published: Thu 9 Nov 2023, 4:52 PM

Last updated: Thu 9 Nov 2023, 4:54 PM

Instagram users will soon have an option to turn off read receipts for direct messages on the platform.

The photo- and video-sharing platform is currently testing the feature which, once launched, will let users decide whether or not they want the sender to know if a message has been read. This is similar to how blue and gray ticks work on WhatsApp.

Once read receipts are turned off on Instagram, the "seen" label will no longer be visible on the chat window even if the message has been read.

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Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, the company that owns Instagram, and Adam Mosseri, head of the social media platform, announced the feature on their broadcast channels.

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“We heard your feedback and have started testing a new feature that lets you turn read receipts off in your DMs. Soon, people will be able to choose when to let others see when they’ve read their messages,” Mosseri said.

Mosseri included a screenshot, showing what the option will look like.

In Privacy and Safety settings, under the "Who can see your activity" category, users will get the option to toggle on or off read receipts.

WhatsApp, also owned by Meta, launched the feature way back in 2014.

Besides the read receipt feature, Meta has been working on enabling end-to-end encryption by default for Messenger by the end of 2023, according to a report in TechCrunch. Once it's up and running, the social media giant will also roll out default end-to-end encryption protection for Instagram DMs.

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Published: Thu 9 Nov 2023, 4:52 PM

Last updated: Thu 9 Nov 2023, 4:54 PM

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