Forget being ignored. Forget pretending you didn’t read a friend’s text. Now WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in Kuwait and in the whole world, will now tell users when a message has been read. Under the new check system, a single check means the message you have sent has been sent. Two grey checks mean the message was successfully delivered. When you see two blue checks, you know that the receiver actually read the message. Some thought that this feature already existed but in fact, the two grey checks signified only that a message was sent and received – not read.
The new feature has already generated widespread negative responses from users in Kuwait and on social media. “I hate it,” said one regular WhatsApp user in Kuwait who asked not to be identified. “It’s invading my privacy. What if I don’t want to answer right away? I really hope they will change it and that it will be very unpopular with users.” The update is already working on WhatsApp in Kuwait with many users complaining that they may switch to other messaging apps like Viber.
A visit to the WhatsApp website’s FAQ provides a range of answers to questions about the new feature. It also explains in detail each indicator’s meaning both for individual and group chats. In a group chat, the second check marks will appear when all participants in the group have received your message.
The two blue check marks will appear when all participants in the group have read your message. Alternatively, you can long press on a message to access a ‘Message Info’ screen, detailing the times when the message was received, read or played. Users can also check ‘last seen’ indicators on the top left of a conversation to know when a contact was last in the app, but the blue check marks are more direct. It would have been nice to see this added in as an on opt-out feature though – some users may not be so fond of the additional information.
WhatsApp also helpfully provided a list of reasons why someone may not have yet received your message including: Their phone might be off; they could be sleeping, especially if they live in a different time zone; they might be experiencing network connection issues; they might have seen the notification on their screen, but did not launch the app (especially common if the recipient uses an iPhone) and most important of all, they might have blocked you – just in case you were wondering what happened.
By Sara Ahmed
