Meta is adding new features to Facebook Messenger, and it’s perhaps years overdue. The service recently implemented end-to-end encryption as the default for one-on-one chats, and the same update finally adds an option to disable read receipts. (No more having to turn on airplane mode every time you want to view a message.) Plus, you can finally edit your messages.
Disable read receipts in Messenger 2024
Let’s talk about the big one first: the ability to turn off read receipts is a huge win for your privacy. You can finally use the Messenger app to talk to people without the added pressure of them knowing you’ve seen their message, which can be an inconvenience or, in the case of online abuse, a real problem.
You can now turn off read receipts for individual chats or for all of your contacts at once. This means the other person won’t know when you’ve opened or read their message. The downside is that once you turn the feature off on your account, you won’t know when they’ve read a message you’ve sent. I think most of us can make the sacrifice of finally turning off read receipts.
Messenger has also pulled a page straight out of the iPhone Messages app and WhatsApp; you can now edit any message for up to 15 minutes after you send it. You can edit the message as many times as you like within that 15-minute window, and there's no visible edit history, so no one can see what you've changed.