A surprising change has occurred in the popular chat app which has not been discovered for a long time. But what is behind it and whether it will remain that way is unclear.
It seems that WhatsApp messaging service has secretly and quietly canceled the automatic reading confirmation of voice messages. This was reported by the “Techbook” page based on its own feedback.
Previously, the two blue checkmarks next to the auto-sent voice message indicated that the message has been received and has been heard. Read receipt is also available for text or photo messages – however, it can be deactivated in data protection settings on the recipient’s side. If you want to avoid the telltale signs of voice messages, you have to use a trick: Which we describe here.
Undisclosed modification
That has changed now, the “Techbook” authors note. Accordingly, the tick marks no longer automatically turn blue once a voice message is heard – but only if both the sender and the recipient generally activate the read confirmation.
According to Techbook, the change was introduced on March 11th, without prior notice. It’s unclear if this is a permanent adjustment or just a test.
To activate or deactivate your reading receipt, proceed as follows:
- At the top right, click on the three vertical dots to open “Settings”.
- Now click on “Account”.
- Contact Data Protection.
- Here you can now move the slider under Read Receipt.
However, deactivating the read receipt also means that you can no longer know if the other person has seen, read, or heard a message that was sent. The same rules now apply to text and voice messaging. This is only logical, Techbook thinks.
