Instagram has unveiled its intention to introduce a feature that allows users to turn off read receipts in direct messages (DMs), with Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg playfully announcing, “If you’re someone who leaves people on read, your day has come.”
This means that Instagram users who send messages won’t be able to know if their messages have been read, as the ‘seen’ label will no longer appear on read messages. Instagram is currently testing this feature, and there is no official word on when it will be rolled out widely.
Reactions to this Instagram announcement have been mixed, with some welcoming it as a much-needed addition and others finding it unexciting.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri made this announcement via their Instagram channels. Mosseri explained, “We’ve listened to your feedback and have started testing a new feature that allows you to disable read receipts in your DMs. Soon, users will have the option to control when others can see if their messages have been read.” However, no specific timeline for this change or whether it will be introduced for all users at once was mentioned.
In the Privacy and Safety settings, users can enable or disable read receipts in the ‘Who can see your activity’ section. The setting description states, “Others can see when you’ve read their messages. Vanish mode messages always send read receipts.”
Zuckerberg, on his Instagram channel, humorously added, “If you’re someone who leaves people on read: your day has come.” He clarified that the company is testing the ability to turn off read receipts in Instagram DMs.
On X (formerly Twitter), many social media users have welcomed the announcement, with some saying, “Better late than never,” and others expressing relief, saying, “Finally, some good news.”
However, not everyone is pleased with this change, as some individuals are concerned about losing the ability to track whether their messages have been read. Instagram has not confirmed whether this feature will be extended to Facebook Messenger, also owned by Meta.
WhatsApp, another platform owned by Meta, has offered the option to disable read receipts since Meta’s acquisition in 2014. Meta plans to introduce default end-to-end encryption for Instagram DMs after integrating it with Messenger, with plans to do the same for Messenger by early 2024.
