Popular instant messaging app WhatsApp will be getting a small but significant update very soon. Usually when you send a message, you’ll get a single tick which lets you know if it has been sent to the server, and another tick to indicate that it has reached its recipient.
Now with the latest update that’s being pushed, users can now tell if the message has been read similar to BBM‘s Read Receipts. After the status changes to double tick, it will then turn to blue once the message is seen.
WhatsApp has updated their FAQ to reflect this new “read” status. It is also interesting to note that this feature is also available in Group Chats or Broadcast messages where it turns to double blue ticks when all members have read the message.
For those paranoid of having your read status known, a possibly remedy is to stick to an older WhatsApp version. It is mentioned in their FAQ that the double blue tick will not be shown if the receiver is using an outdated version of WhatsApp. However this method of staying under the radar might be temporary until the day WhatsApp forces all users to update to the latest version.
