WhatsApp has added a new feature. The messaging app now allows lets its users know if a message that they sent has been read. But not everyone is happy about it and some have come up with ways around the new feature.
Recently acquired by Facebook, the company boasts over 600 million active users. Previously these people only saw a gray check next to a message to signify that it was successfully sent and two gray checks meaning that the message was successfully received by the recipient’s phone. Now they will also see two blue checks to let them know that the message was read by the recipient.
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WhatsApp offers a FAQ page to explain the new addition. There the company explains, “If you see two blue check marks next to your sent message, then the recipient has read your message. In a group chat or broadcast message, the check marks will turn blue when every participant has read your message.”
WhatsApp also explains some possible reasons why the two gray check marks remain gray.
“If you do not see two blue check marks next to your sent message: The recipient may not have opened your conversation; The recipient may be using an outdated version of WhatsApp; You or the recipient may be experiencing connection issues.”
WhatsApp users can also now swipe left on iOS or tap and hold on Android to see what time a message was sent, received and read.
So why would anyone have a problem with that? Say you got a message from someone who you do not like or your boss telling you to do more work or that you have to come into the office on Sunday. Usually you could just ignore it. But now the sender will always know that you did, in fact, get their message.
So what can you do to escape this? Some ingenious people have already posted on line that if you see such a message then simply change your phone’s settings to airplane mode before you read it. WhatsApp will not know that you opened it.
Another option for Android users is that they can read the message without actually clicking on it providing that it is short.
While the sender will eventually find out that you did read the message, users will at least be able to buy some valuable time to claim that they did not see it until later.
