Messenger lets you read messages without being “Seen”. If you just wanted to check on what someone said to you and not have to reply, this is for you. The methods are somewhat similar on both Android and iPhones. So, if you need to know how to read messenger messages without the sender knowing, here are some useful ways.
But first, why would you want to read messages without giving away the sign that you have read them?
That’s possible because the message is not awfully important and requires an immediate reply or you are not in a position to send a reply instantly. It’s also because we have evolved to think that making a message seen means, it shall be a responsibility to send a reply or risk being judged rude or indifferent.
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How to read Messenger messages without seen?
Anyway, the reasons could be many, but it’s a legitimate thing for Facebook Messenger. Facebook is one of the most popular social networks in Nepal and almost all users use Messenger to chat online. And for reasons mentioned above and others, being able to read a message not being seen is vital. Here are some popular and useful methods on how to read Messenger messages without seen on Android, iOS, and the web. Check out the methods one by one:
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1. By turning off “Read receipts”
Most effective perhaps, and easy thing to do. By turning off “Read receipts”, you can read Messenger messages without seen. The steps are not complex either. Facebook almost quietly added this feature for this purpose. The option for it is rested deep within the settings.
- Open Messenger
- Tap on three horizontal bars on top left
- Tap on Settings
- Tap on Privacy & safety
- Find Read receipts
- Touch once to toggle off the “Show read receipts”
After you deactivate “Read receipts”, you can read messages without being Seen on Messenger. Keep note that the feature is on by default so you have to follow the steps to deactivate it.
2. Airplane Mode
Another common method to read Facebook messages without being seen is by using the Airplane mode.
It’s very easy to activate the Airplane or Flight Mode on smartphones. Mostly, you can find it by swiping down (quick setting menu) from the top of your phone’s screen. You will see an airplane symbol. Just tap it once and you will have airplane or flight mode activated on your phone. You can manually go through Settings to find this mode on both Android and iPhones.
After you put your phone on Airplane/Flight mode, you can read Messenger messages without giving them a Seen sign. Also know, that until you send your reply to the sender, there won’t be a seen status.
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Steps to read Messenger messages without the sender knowing
Here are the steps to read Facebook messages without alerting the sender:
- Open the Messenger app on your phone and also make sure that messages are already loaded
- Turn on Flight or Airplane mode from quick settings or through the Settings app
- Now, your phone is disabled from all internet connection
- Now, you can read any Facebook Messenger messages without the reader’s knowledge
Note: After you activate the flight mode, your device gets disconnected from the internet and it extends to all besides Messenger.
Don’t worry about the smartphone platform either. The trick works similarly on both Android and iOS.
3. Read from notifications
This is the easiest way to read messages on Messenger without seeing them. Every smartphone issues pop-up notifications for installed apps including Messenger. So, whenever there is a new message to you, the Messenger app feeds you that notification which basically lets you read the message from the notification bar without having to launch the app to see it. You have to swipe down your screen from the top.
The limitation is that the method doesn’t let you run videos but is great to check out messages without letting the sender know that you have seen the message.
The method requires that you have enabled notifications for the Messenger app on your phone. By default, it is turned on but if you have deactivated it, then you won’t get the privilege of seeing messages in the notification bar. Go to Settings > Apps > Manage apps > Messenger > Notifications and toggle on the checkmark.
4. Restrict messages
By “restricting”, you can avoid being seen and check out messages sent to you. It’s a simple process too. Personally, it’s highly effective for me but the only drawback is that you need to repeat a few steps to reach the messages.
How to restrict messages and read messages without being seen in Messenger on Android?
On Android, you can use the Restrict method to read messages without being seen:
- Launch the Messenger app on your Android phone
- Press and hold on an account’s message you want to restrict
- Tap on Restrict
- Now, tap on the three horizontal bars > Settings > Privacy & safety > Restricted accounts to read the messages
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How to restrict messages and read messages without being seen in Messenger on iPhones?
On iPhones, the method is slightly different. Do this to restrict messages and read them later without being seen in iPhones:
- Open the Messenger app on the iPhone
- Tap on the contact in Messenger
- Tap on the contact on top again
- Scroll down to find Restrict and tap on it
- Tap on Restrict and then on “Restrict …” followed by the account’s first name
- After this, tap first on the three horizontal bars > Settings > Privacy & safety > Restricted accounts > Account to read the messages
5. You can also use an extension to read Facebook messages secretly
You can also resort to using browser extensions to read Messenger messages privately. If you are on Chrome, you need to go to Chrome Web Store and Add to Chrome an extension, for eg, Unseen. The extension activates by default if not, you can easily activate it in Chrome’s settings. Go to Facebook Messenger, log in with your details and now, you can read Messenger messages without being seen.
Well, these were the top ways to read Messenger messages without being seen. Hope this post has been extremely helpful to you. For any inquiry or query, leave us a message in our comment section below.