WhatsApp did what most are dreading—read messages confirmations back to the sender. While people some are happy about the feature, others are freaking out.WhatsApp has started sending back read message confirmations back to the reader by issuing blue double tick marks on the message. This indicates and confirms that the message has been read / seen by the user on the other end.
Previously, a single tick would mean that the message is sent and a double tick meant that the message has been received on the phone. However, there was no confirmation whether the message was seen by the recipient and when. But now there is no escaping as the sender will know if you saw the message and when. While blue ticks could be great for some, it could ruin relationships for many others. This could take an adverse effect on WhatsApp users and force them to migrate to other chat applications to avoid controversies.
Some of our readers have been noticing this change since day before yesterday, but it seems WhatsApp has finally rolled out the feature for everyone now. Their FAQ section has now been updated with this newly added feature.
In a group chat, the second check marks will appear when all participants in the group have received your message. The two blue check marks will appear when all participants in the group have read your message.
You can also long-press on the message to find the exact time when the message was read by tapping on the message info button. While most users should be happy with this latest update, some might find it a bit too intrusive. As of now, there’s no option to turn this feature off (like it’s the case with ‘last seen’ status).
Previously, users could only guess if and when their messages had been read using the "last seen" feature. WhatsApp allowed users to opt out of that particular functionality if they were unwilling to share their last seen status.
It proved popular with users who did not want the pressure of replying immediately or having other users know when last they were online. Not everyone is pleased with the new update. Some commentators have called it "sneaky". "Part of the appeal was being able to hide from select individuals when I wanted to," said WhatsApp user Larissa Pringiers.
Rajesh D’silva tells us, “Frankly I find it annoying. If one is so concerned about ensuring that your contact read your messages, I feel the best way is to just call the person. Sometimes you may be busy and may have read a message and not responded, and some of your contacts may find that rude. It may create misunderstanding amongst people. As it is you have the two tick marks and the ‘Last Read At’ indicator, but yet another indicator to ensure your message is delivered and read is a bit much. I could do without it.”
WhatsApp has never taken the stealthy approach and even earlier one could easily see when a person was last online. However, it gives an option to turn off the “last seen at” option, but now there seems to be no way that you can turn off these blue ticks. It looks like this feature is bound to receive flak. Let’s wait and see if users compel WhatsApp to disable it.
Rajesh D’silva tells us, “Frankly I find it annoying. If one is so concerned about ensuring that your contact read your messages, I feel the best way is to just call the person. Sometimes you may be busy and may have read a message and not responded, and some of your contacts may find that rude. It may create misunderstanding amongst people. As it is you have the two tick marks and the ‘Last Read At’ indicator, but yet another indicator to ensure your message is delivered and read is a bit much. I could do without it.”
WhatsApp has never taken the stealthy approach and even earlier one could easily see when a person was last online. However, it gives an option to turn off the “last seen at” option, but now there seems to be no way that you can turn off these blue ticks. It looks like this feature is bound to receive flak. Let’s wait and see if users compel WhatsApp to disable it.