When we receive a notification, we're not always in the best position to read what someone has written. We might be working and not have time to reply, or perhaps we simply don't want to talk to them at that moment. But the main problem in all these situations is always the same: we want to read what they've written without our friend or acquaintance seeing the dreaded "seen" notification. In this article, we'll explain all the ways you can do this on Facebook Messenger.
How to know if a message has been sent, received or viewed in Messenger?
The read receipt for messages varies across social media platforms . On WhatsApp, for example, it's indicated by a double blue checkmark, letting us know that our friend has received and read the message.
In the case of Facebook Messenger, it's different. The "message sent" confirmation is represented by a circle with a single checkmark inside. Then, when the message is received by the contact we want to chat with , the circle fills with blue. And finally, when that person reads our message , the circle disappears, revealing their profile picture. So, if our conversation partner is unaware of this, we might risk reading it without replying… although, on second thought, maybe not.
Now that you know how to identify the different statuses of messages in this application, let's see how you can prevent received messages from appearing as seen.
Read Facebook Messenger messages without being marked as seen
The process of reading messages without being seen in this app can be done in different ways, and of course, it will depend on the device you're using. First, let's see how to do it from your smartphone so that the other person in the chat doesn't realize you've read what they sent. Remember that some users are very attentive to when they send things, when we read them, and, very importantly, how long it takes us to reply. These are habits that can cause some problems and friction, which are best avoided thanks to these tips we're about to share.
So take note, because we're going to explain the three different ways we can hide in the darkness of Messenger. Like Solid Snake in Metal Gear.
Airplane mode: the most classic method
This way of not being seen by your contacts on Facebook Messenger is the most classic and well-known by all.
When we see that we have received a message from the notifications on our phone, we just have to put the mobile in airplane mode that, depending on the operating system of your mobile, you can access it in one way or another:
- If you have an Android mobile, you just have to slide the notification bar from top to bottom on the screen, and then slide this panel down again accessing the toggle panel or quick access tools. Here you will see this mode with the symbol of the plane.
- However, if you have one of Apple's phones, you can get to that tools menu with a single swipe. Swipe from the top right corner to get to the tools menu. Now you only have to click on the airplane icon to activate this mode.
Now it's time to open the Facebook Messenger app and read your messages as you normally would. Once you've finished reading these messages, which you don't want to be detected reading, something extremely important to do before turning off airplane mode is to close the Messenger app from the multitasking menu so it doesn't keep running in the background and detect that you've read those messages. It's as simple as:
- On Android, we can access multitasking from the virtual button in the shape of a square, or (if we have the gesture function active), sliding from the bottom of the screen to the center and holding our finger here for a second. Now swipe up the Facebook Messenger screen to close it.
- In iOS (iPhone), we just have to make the same gesture as in the Android option, that is, slide from the bottom of the screen to the middle of it to display multitasking. Once here, swipe up on the Messenger app screen to close it.
To finish the process, disable airplane mode and you will have read those messages without being detected.
Read the message when receiving the notification
Another fairly obvious option, and which depends on whether or not we have the phone in our hands at the right time, is to read the messages if we receive them while we are using the phone. We just have to press and hold the pop-up notification to show us the full message. Then we just have to click on the crosshead to cancel the quick reply and we will have read that message without being "detected".
Read messages from the notification center
If we have received this message while we were not using the smartphone, we can also go to the notification center and use the quick response option again.
To access this panel, whatever operating system you have on your mobile, you just have to slide the top bar so that all pending messages appear, press the one you want to read and then cancel without replying. That's how easy this "trick" is.
Read message from an Apple Watch
This system is identical to previous ones where we take advantage of the iPhone's notification center to read messages, since the watch simply shows us a preview that we can complete later by going to Facebook Messenger. But since the goal is to remain discreet and not reveal when we read the message, we don't do that and instead try to see everything the Apple Watch displays on the screen with each new notification (note, not within the app). Although we will have read it, the other person won't actually receive the notification with the icon that would give us away.
It goes without saying that if you use this trick frequently, don't rush to tell everyone, because they might start to think you use it on them every day (hence your slow reaction time, they'll think). It's best to be cautious, not open your mouth too much, and only when this trick is common knowledge should you decide whether to confess that you've known it for a long time or that you've just discovered it, like someone who's just uncovering it for you. This is mainly because it can give the impression that you're overly calculating and choose the right moment to read others when, in reality, you're probably just reacting late because you're short on time or have been caught off guard.
Read messages without being seen from the computer
If you're using Facebook Messenger on your computer (preferably Firefox, Chrome, or a similar browser like Edge), airplane mode or notifications won't prevent you from being seen. To do this, you'll need to install a third-party plugin from your browser's store.
- Google Chrome: download the extension Invisible to Facebook Messenger.
- Firefox: download the extension Message Seen Disable for Facebook.
The process to use one of these plugins on your computer (either Mac or Windows) is as simple as:
- Enter the extension store for, for example, Google Chrome.
- In the search engine, type the name of Unseen for Facebook and click on "Add to Chrome".
- Once installed, you just have to click on it in the browser extensions section and activate the functions you need.
These are all the methods you have to avoid being identified on Messenger . If you have any questions about them, feel free to leave a comment and we'll try to answer it as soon as possible. But remember, before things get out of hand, it's almost always best to read the message and confirm to the other person that you've done so. That's probably what we'd like others to do for us when we message someone in the app's chats. Don't you think?