Grey ticks, blue ticks, no ticks… what does it all mean on WhatsApp, and how can you tell if you’ve been left on read – or worse, blocked?
In a nutshell, both WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business use the Read Receipt system to show users when their message is delivered and whether the recipient has read it or not.
The double tick system is useful because you can see at a glance the status of each message that you send on WhatsApp Business. It’s a handy feature that can help to manage expectations when interacting over an instant messaging app. With read receipts, your customers can see whether you’ve had a chance to open their message or not. For businesses, this can be particularly helpful during holiday periods or out of office hours.
So, how do you get started decoding the check marks on WhatsApp Business? Let’s take a closer look at single ticks, double ticks and what it means if you don’t see any ticks next to your message on WhatsApp.
What does a single grey tick mean on WhatsApp?
One grey tick means that the message has been successfully sent from your phone, but it hasn’t been delivered yet to the other person’s phone. You can think of it as being ‘in transit’. If the intended recipient isn’t able to receive the message, for example, while they’re on a flight, a single grey tick can remain for hours.
There are lots of reasons why you might see a single grey tick, such as a poor internet connection on the other side, or the phone being switched off or running out of battery. Your contact may also have logged out of WhatsApp or deleted the app from their phone.
Does one grey tick on WhatsApp mean I’m blocked?
One grey tick can mean that you’ve been blocked by the other person, but this isn’t always the case. There are many reasons why your message may only have one grey tick showing.
In the situation where the recipient has blocked your number, you will only ever see one check mark (meaning that the message has been sent) and never a second check mark (meaning that the message has been delivered).
You won’t receive a notification if you’re blocked by another user, but there are a few signs that this is the case. If you can no longer see the person’s online or last seen status, you can’t see any updates that they make to their profile picture, and you’re unable to make calls to their number, you may be blocked. WhatsApp deliberately makes it difficult to tell if you’ve been blocked or not in order to protect their users’ privacy, so there’s no concrete way to confirm that a block is in place.
What is the difference between one grey tick and two on WhatsApp?
One grey tick means that the message has been successfully sent from your phone, while two grey ticks indicate that it has been delivered to the intended recipient. The message could have been delivered to their phone or any of their linked devices.
What does two blue ticks mean on WhatsApp?
Two blue ticks means that the message has been received and read by the other person.
If the recipient has Read Receipts disabled, the two ticks will remain grey even after the message has been read.
What does one grey and one blue tick mean on WhatsApp?
Technically speaking, there shouldn’t be a time when one grey and one blue tick show on WhatsApp, as the two ticks should both turn blue at the same time as soon as the message has been read.
If you are seeing one grey and one blue tick consistently in WhatsApp, contact customer support for advice.
How do I turn off double ticks on WhatsApp Business?
We get it – sometimes you just don’t want people to know exactly which messages you’ve opened as soon as you’ve read them. While it’s not possible to turn off all ticks in WhatsApp, it is very easy to disable double blue ticks on WhatsApp Business.
First, go into your WhatsApp settings and choose Privacy, then turn off the Read Receipts setting. This means that the ticks will remain grey even after you read a message.
It’s worth noting that if you turn off read receipts, you also won’t be able to see read receipts from other people in individual chats. In group chats, the rules are different and read receipts are always sent.
Should I turn off read receipts on WhatsApp Business?
In our honest opinion, no. Although turning double blue ticks off on WhatsApp Business feels like it gives you more freedom to choose when to respond, it may make your customers feel less at ease during their communication with you.
We recommend keeping read receipts switched on in order to harness the power of sales psychology. A huge benefit of instant messaging apps when compared to email is the transparency and personal touch that WhatsApp Business provides. Your customer knows that as soon as they see the double blue ticks, their message has been received and read by a person – and that adds to your credibility and reliability as a business.
But what if you can’t respond there and then? Quick Replies is a great solution to let your customer know you’ve received their message and will get back to them as quickly as possible once you’re available.
How do double blue ticks work in group messages?
When you send a message to a group chat, the double blue ticks will only appear once all the participants in the chat have read your message.
What does it mean if I don’t have any ticks next to my WhatsApp message?
The most likely reason for this is a connection issue, as the message hasn’t yet been sent from your phone. If you don’t see any ticks, try checking your internet connection and refreshing WhatsApp.
So there you have it – all you need to know about the read receipt system on WhatsApp!
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