Disable read receipts
If you want to read a message on WhatsApp without letting the sender know that you have viewed it, you can simply I will give you a letter and do not show the "blue ticks" that confirm the reading of the messages. Operation which, however, is reciprocal: this means that even you will no longer be able to see the blue ticks next to the messages you send to your friends. All clear? Well then let me tell you how to proceed on both Android and iPhone.
Android
To disable WhatsApp read receipts on Android, start the messaging app on your device, press the button (⋮) situato in alto a destra e seleciona la voce Settings from the menu that opens. On the next screen, press on the item Accounti went his Privacy, scroll to the bottom of the next screen and uncheck the wording Read confirmations.
From now on, users you chat with on WhatsApp will no longer see read receipts on WhatsApp when you read their messages, and vice versa. For group conversations, however, read receipts will continue to be displayed.
If you have second thoughts, go back to Settings> Account> Privacy and put the check back next to the option Read confirmations to restore the blue ticks.
iOS
You use a iPhone? The procedure to disable WhatsApp read receipts is similar to that for Android devices: you have to go to the settings of the messaging app and disable the option relating to read receipts.
Then start WhatsApp, press on the voice Settings located at the bottom right and, in the screen that opens, first presses on the item Account and then Privacy. Finally, move up OFF the levetta dell'interruttore situato in corrispondenza della voce Read confirmations And that's it.
As I mentioned before, users you chat with on WhatsApp will no longer see read receipts on WhatsApp when you read their messages, the same goes for you. For group conversations, however, read receipts will continue to be displayed.
If you decide to retrace your steps and reactivate the "blue ticks", go back to Settings> Account> Privacy and move up ON the switch located next to the option Read confirmations.
Read messages from the lock screen or from the notification center
Another way to see WhatsApp messages "secretly" is to read them from the lock screen or from the notification center smartphone. The display of notifications is enabled "by default" on both Android and iOS, but for safety, I invite you to check that this is actually the case in your case (you may have inadvertently disabled these settings).
Android
To verify that on your device Android notifications are enabled, open the app Settings (the gear icon located on the home screen or in the screen with the list of all the apps installed on the device), presses on the item Notifications (o Audio and notifications), tap on the item Screen lock and make sure the option is selected Show all notifications (otherwise select it yourself and then press on OK). By showing notifications on the lock screen, you can read the messages received on WhatsApp or portions of them without opening the messaging app.
To make sure that notifications related to WhatsApp messages are also enabled, so you can read them directly from the Android notification center, go to Settings, presses on the voice Notifications (o Audio and notifications), tap on the item Applications, Then WhatsApp (below) and make sure the switch next to the wording Block is moved up OFF. You will thus be able to read previews of WhatsApp messages simply by lowering the curtain of the notification center, then swiping from top to bottom (from any screen).
iOS
To make sure that previews of messages are activated on your lock screen iPhone, avvia l'app Settings (the gray icon with gears on the Home screen), select the item Notifications, then tap on the item WhatsApp and move up ON the levetta dell'interruttore situato in corrispondenza della voce Show on lock screen (in case it is moved to “OFF”). Finally, press on the voice Show previews present in the same screen and select the option Always (default) (if not already selected).
When you receive a notification about a new WhatsApp message, you can read its preview both from the lock screen and from the iOS notification center (reachable by swiping from top to bottom, from any screen you are on, or from the top left corner of the screen if you have an iPhone X). If the message is not particularly long (so it does not exceed 200 characters), you may even be able to read it in its entirety without opening the WhatsApp chat.
WhatsApp Widget (Android)
An "alternative" way to read messages received on WhatsApp without opening them is to use the convenience widget available in the app version for Android (the widget on WhatsApp for iPhone, unfortunately, only shows recent chats and the latest status updates).
To activate the WhatsApp widget on Android, make a long tap on an "empty" point on the home screen and select the item widget from the menu that opens. Then locate the WhatsApp widget related to thepreview of received messages (the one in which the preview of a chat is represented), make a long tap on it and place it on the Home screen, where you prefer most. As soon as you receive a message, it will be displayed entirely within the widget. Convenient, right?
Of course, you can remove the widget at any time. To do this, make a prolonged tap on the latter and press on (X) that appears in one of its four corners or dragged up (the procedure may vary depending on the version of Android installed on your device). For more information on how to remove widgets on Android, read the tutorial I dedicated to the topic.
Siri (iOS)
You use a iPhone? As I mentioned earlier, unfortunately you cannot count on the WhatsApp widget, since on iOS it does not offer the possibility to preview received messages. On the other hand, you can resort to Crab, Apple's voice assistant, which is able to read you the text of the latest messages you have received on WhatsApp.
To use this feature, make sure you have updated your iPhone to iOS 10.3 or a later version and then call Siri and say the phrase "Read the latest messages received on WhatsApp". Siri will read the latest messages you received on WhatsApp and ask you if you want to reply or not.
I remind you that you can call Siri either by long-pressing the Home button (present on iPhone 8/8 Plus and earlier) or by pressing and holding the side button present on the iPhone X, which using the voice command "Hey Siri!" (if you have activated the function Enable "Hey Siri" From Settings of iOS and if your iPhone supports this function).
For more information on how to use Siri and how to launch Siri, take a look at the insights I dedicated to the voice assistant developed by the Cupertino giant.
