Blocking on iMessage: What Happens to Read Receipts?

The question of what happens to read receipts after blocking someone in iMessage is a common concern. When you message someone on iMessage and then block them, the behavior of read receipts can vary depending on when they were initiated. This article will clarify this issue and explain the implications of blocking on communication and read receipts.

Read Receipts Before Blocking

If you send a message to someone via iMessage and then block them shortly afterward, any read receipts that were sent before the block will still be visible. This means that if your contact has opened the message before the block, they will still be able to see the read receipt indicating that they have viewed it.

However, once you have blocked them, your contact will no longer receive any further messages from you, and they will not be able to see read receipts for any new messages sent after the block. The block effectively stops all communication, but it does not retroactively change the status of messages that were already sent and received.

Read Receipts After Blocking

Once you have blocked the contact, any new messages you send will not be delivered. Your contact will not be able to see any read receipts for these new messages. This behavior is designed to keep all activity hidden from the blocked party to protect your privacy. Therefore, the read-receipt functionality remains for messages sent before the block but ceases to function for any messages sent afterward.

It's important to understand that once a block is applied, both parties are no longer able to communicate. The design of iMessage ensures that any attempted messages will not be delivered to the blocked contact.

Privacy and Communication

The key takeaway is that the blocking feature is intended to create a barrier to communication, and while it may not retroactively alter the history of sent messages, it will definitely affect future interactions. If you block someone, it means that any further messages from that person will not be delivered, and they will not be able to communicate with you.

Considering this, it's understandable why one might not care about read receipts once they have blocked someone. Blocking them entirely removes the need to monitor their message status, as you won't be able to receive any messages from them in the first place. The read receipts, therefore, become irrelevant in this scenario.

Conclusion

In summary, if you message someone on iMessage and then block them, read receipts for messages sent before the block will still show, but you won’t receive read receipts for any new messages sent after the block. Blocking is an effective way to stop communication, and it is designed to keep all post-blocking activity hidden from the blocked party.

When deciding to block someone on iMessage, consider the impact on your communication and privacy. If you don’t want to receive any further messages from a contact, blocking them is a safeguard that prevents all forms of communication going forward.