How to Hide Read Messages in WhatsApp

As one of the most popular messengers out there, WhatsApp is likely on most smartphones around the world. It’s a simple-to-use app that allows you to text, send voice messages, and phone other users. You probably think that you know pretty much everything regarding WhatsApp.

Well, you may be a tech expert, but you don’t know every nook and cranny of this popular app. The tips and tricks that follow are crucial if you plan on using WhatsApp to its full potential.

Hide Read Messages

There’s an unspoken online etiquette about texting. It dictates that you shouldn’t leave someone on “read.” We all know about it, and we do our best to avoid reading those messages. Sometimes, in the minefield of notifications, you’ll open the message in question, and you’ll know what you’ve done. Now, you have to read it and answer it, even though it wasn’t the ideal moment for it.

Yes, ignoring people is rude, but you may want to save reading the message for later. For instance, say someone asks you a complicated question. You can answer it, but you don’t want to do it now. Well, luckily, WhatsApp allows you to disable what they call “Read Receipts.”

This setting is in the Privacy section in WhatsApp settings.

Disable Last Seen

Disabling the Read Receipts option on WhatsApp is a handy tool. However, people who can tell that you were online after receiving the message will still think that you ghosted them. And yes, WhatsApp does offer the Last Seen section, under the chat name.

Luckily, as you can see, WhatsApp is one of the few chat apps that value your privacy.

You can choose who you’ll allow seeing when you were last online on WhatsApp. Do this from the Privacy settings screen. You can choose between everyone, your contacts, and nobody.

Bookmark Messages

Now, this might sound a bit ridiculous and unnecessary, but you can bookmark messages in WhatsApp. Have you ever had to search through a very long conversation to find that particular message that you just knew you’d need at some point? Then this feature is perfect for you.

This option is called “Star.” To “star” a message, go to any chat, long-press any message, and select Star.

It will put the message into the Starred Messages category, allowing you to get back to it at any point. To access Starred Messages on iOS, go to Settings and then to Starred Messages. Alternatively, go to any chat, tap the chat name, and then select Starred Messages.

On Android devices, go to More Options and select Starred Messages.

Pin Chats

You may be someone who doesn’t frequently use WhatsApp and only communicates with a couple of friends using this app. If that is the case, you don’t need to worry about this feature.

However, most likely, you’re an avid WhatsApp user and are having issues coping with the number of conversations taking place there. Add other chat apps, and it can make your head hurt.

While WhatsApp can’t do anything about other chat apps, it offers you to put your most important conversations at the top of the list. That will save you all the unnecessary scrolling and searching.

Pinning a conversation to the top of your WhatsApp inbox is very simple. If you’re an iOS user, swipe right on any chat and tap Pin. Android users can do the same by long-pressing any conversation on the list.

Set Admin Rights

Sure, WhatsApp probably isn’t an app that you use seriously, but some rules are still welcome. If you’ve created a group with your friends, they can go crazy and start renaming stuff, changing the group photo, and so on. The more people there are in a group, the worse.

Luckily, WhatsApp offers you to take control of your groups. If you’re an admin in a group, you can set it so that only admins can make these changes. To do this, go to Group Info while in a conversation and then select Group Settings. If you are the admin, you can tweak the settings here, as well as set other admins.

Use the Desktop App

Sometimes, hanging on your phone can get tiresome. Other times, you need to write a lot in a conversation. Most people are much faster on their computer keyboards than typing on their portable devices.

Fortunately, a WhatsApp desktop app does exist. It is pretty well-built, so you can set your phone aside and focus on the computer screen when you install it. The app pretty much mirrors what the phone app can do, which is brilliant.

Post Your Status

Yes, statuses are still most popular on Facebook. Twitter is an app that turned statuses into “tweets,” which are immensely popular these days. But did you know that you can change your status on WhatsApp?

Statuses make sense on WhatsApp. Your contacts can see them and decide whether or not it’s appropriate to nudge you at a particular moment.

To set your WhatsApp status, go to Settings, and tap your name. Then, you’ll see your currently set option under the About section. Tap it. In the next screen, you’ll see a list of pre-made statuses. Select one or add a custom one, depending on what you’re doing at the moment.

Handsfree Recording

Like most other apps, WhatsApp offers a voice text option. Just hold down the microphone icon to start and release it to end the recording. However, by swiping up while holding the record icon, you enter the locked mode. Now, you can release the button, and the app will continue recording.

The WhatsApp Experience

To fully experience this fantastic chat app, use the tips and tricks mentioned above. You may have known about some and just learned about others. Maybe most of these were new to you. In any case, now your WhatsApp knowledge is richer.

Which one of these tips did you find the most useful? Do you have some other tips to share? Feel free to hit the comment section below with any thoughts, suggestions, and questions that you may have.