The little words under a message
Read Delivered, Read and Sending, and know exactly what each one does and does not tell you.
Under a message you have sent there is often a small word. It is worth knowing precisely what it claims, because the worry it causes is usually about something it never said.
So a message sitting on Delivered for three hours is not being ignored. It is on a phone in a coat pocket, and nobody has picked the phone up.
Key points
- Sending means it is on its way, and points at your signal
- Delivered means it reached their phone, and nothing more
- Read means they opened it, and only some apps say so
- Read receipts can be switched off, for everybody at once
- None of these words tells you what somebody is thinking
What to remember
- Sending is about your signal. Delivered is about their phone. Read is about them.
- Delivered is about a phone. Nothing under a message can tell you what somebody is thinking.
- Whether others see that you have read something is your choice, and it is one switch.
Try this
Look at the last message you sent and read the small word under it. Say out loud what it actually claims. Most people have been reading three different facts as one, and separating them takes a surprising amount of worry away.
Practice: The little words under a message. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.