readreceipt

A read receipt is a notification indicating that a message has been opened or read by the recipient. It is distinct from a delivery receipt, which only confirms that the message was delivered to the recipient's device. Read receipts can be request-based or automatic, depending on the messaging protocol and the app being used.

How read receipts work varies by platform. When a message is opened in a client, the app may send a read-status back to the sender’s client or server, often including a timestamp and sometimes the device. In some systems, a read status is generated only after the recipient actively opens the message; it may not appear if the message is only previewed, if the recipient is offline, or if the sender and recipient use different clients.

Variants across apps are common. In email, read receipts are optional and many clients allow users to decline or ignore them. In instant messaging, read receipts are common and can appear as indicators such as “read” or “seen.” Some apps differentiate delivery receipts (sent, delivered) from read receipts, and some provide granular controls at the conversation level.

Privacy and policy considerations are important. Read receipts can reveal information about a user’s activity and may raise privacy concerns. Users may disable them, and organizations may enforce them in certain environments. Read receipts are not always reliable due to client settings, encryption, or the use of third-party clients.

In practice, read receipts are used to confirm whether a message has been acknowledged and to gauge response expectations in both personal and professional communication. Some platforms offer per-conversation customization or global settings to enable or disable these indicators.