For some time now, WhatsApp has been letting you know when a contact has read the message you sent thanks to the blue ticks, also called read confirmation. But if like me you do not want to give this information, then this guide on how to avoid the blue check of Whatsapp is right for you.

In a previous article we analyzed the WhatsApp symbols in detail , here instead we focus on one aspect in particular: avoiding the blue ticks appearing both in single chats and in messages, both on Android and on iPhone .

The first thing to do is to update WhatsApp to the latest version available. If you haven’t already, you can find the direct download links here .

After finishing the update, the procedure differs depending on the model of phone you are using.

To avoid the blue check on Android , do the following:

• Open the WhatsApp application on your phone.
• Click on “Settings” (the three dots at the top).
• Click on “Privacy”.
• Deselect the item “Read receipts” (or “Read receipts”).

To avoid the blue check on iPhone , do the following:

• Open the WhatsApp application on your phone.
• Click on “Settings” (bottom right).
• Click on “Account”.
• Click on “Privacy”.
• Uncheck the “Read Confirmation” item.

With these two simple procedures your WhatsApp contacts will no longer see the blue check in your messages. Remember, however, that you too will no longer see the ticks of others . Furthermore, this does not make you safe from “prying eyes”, in fact there are other ways to spy on WhatsApp and read someone else’s messages. So, keep your eyes open!

Also, keep in mind that  when you are online your friends will see it , and therefore may get suspicious if they don’t see the tick. To avoid this problem, I reveal a little trick: read the messages by activating the airplane mode, so nobody will see that you are online.