Remember when WhatsApp “surprised” its users with a function that shows users if their messages have been read or vice versa? Remember how you woke up one morning to WhatsApp quietly updating its app for users to discover some blue checkmarks, which..while it cleared some confusion about the previous grey checkmarks, managed to irk WhatsApp users about the level of privacy?
How many of you got the, “Blue ticks means you read already but you didn’t reply me!” remarks over your WhatsApp messages in the past week or so?
Other cross-messaging platforms e.g. LINE, BBM have had the “read” indication for years now but maybe WhatsApp users weren’t at all used to the app being so intrusive out of nowhere. But you can rest your worries and annoyances now and stop hating on the app.
WhatsApp is ready to push an update that will make the blue ticks go away. Yes, your complaints were heard loud and clear! In their latest update for Android (WhatsApp version 2.11.444), there is now a setting that lets you opt out from sending “Read Receipts”. With this update, your WhatsApp contacts will not be able to see if you have read the messages or not as the two checkmarks will not turn blue at their end and will remain grey.
However, WhatsApp is also being 100% fair with this function. Much like a user’s ability to turn off the “Last Seen” status, if you turn off the “Read Receipts”, you won’t be able to see other people’s “Read Receipts” either.
And the world makes sense again. All that’s left to do is to wait for the update to be made available on the Google Play Store. Alternatively, you could also hit up here to download the latest update.
We’ll leave you now with local YouTubers jinnyboytv’s hilarious take on the WhatsApp blue ticks. Enjoy:
