Do you use TextNow to send messages, and are wondering if there is any way to see whether or not someone has read your message?
While read receipts are popular on many messaging platforms (including your phone’s built-in texting app, like iMessage for example), figuring out whether someone read your message on TextNow isn’t exactly intuitive.
So, in this article I’ll be answering whether these can be enabled for TextNow as well, along with some useful tips you should keep in mind.
Can You See If Someone Read Your Message On TextNow?
Currently, the answer is no. TextNow does not support read receipts, and there is no option to turn them on within the app.
This is largely due to the way that TextNow’s system works – it operates over traditional SMS messages, which currently do not support read receipts.
This is similar to how you cannot receive read receipts when sending text messages to Android phones from an iPhone, for example. While messages sent to other iPhones operate over iMessage, texts sent to non-Apple phones also operate over SMS.
In a moment however, I’ll share some free messaging apps that DO support read receipts, and also discuss whether or not TextNow is likely to begin supporting read receipts in the future.
What Other Messaging Services DO Have Read Receipts?
If read receipts are an important feature for you, there are plenty of other messaging apps that do support them – and most of them are free as well.
Some examples of texting / messaging apps that support read receipts include:
- iMessage
- Google Messages
- Samsung Mesasges
- Facebook Messenger
- Kik
- LINE
- Skype
- Session
- Signal
While these are only a few examples, all of these apps have read receipts built into them.
Note that some of the messaging apps listed above may require you to turn read receipts on within the app’s settings before they will be enabled.
So, if read receipts are a critical feature to you, try one of them out in place of TextNow!
Will TextNow Enable Read Receipts In The Future?
We now know that TextNow does not support read receipts, and there is no setting to turn read receipts on.
However, is there any likelihood that TextNow implements them in the future?
Currently, this isn’t likely. TextNow currently works on the traditional SMS system that has been in place for decades. And unfortunately, this system does not support read receipts in any fashion.
The only reason read receipts are supported on other platforms is because they operate over the internet, rather than with traditional SMS. This is why you’re able to use iMessage on iPads, or phones without cellular service for example, as long as you’re connected to the internet.
So, supporting read receipts would require an enormous change to TextNow’s entire infrastructure. And even then, TextNow would likely only be able to offer read receipts for messages sent to other TextNow numbers, similarly to how iMessage can only show read receipts to other people using iMessage.
On iPhone, all texts sent to Android phones for example only go through SMS, which is why read receipts aren’t enabled for them.
Long story short, it’s very unlikely TextNow will implement read receipts any time soon.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, there is no way to tell whether or not someone has read your message on TextNow.
Because TextNow sends regular SMS messages, it would require a massive change for TextNow to implement read receipts, so we’re unlikely to get any soon.
I hope that this article has answered all of your questions. If you have any other questions about TextNow, please ask them using the comment form below.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister
if someone has their read receipt on their lg/Samsung phone and sends you a message on textnow can they tell if you opened their message. I think the answer is no but just making sure.
Lesa(Quote)
Hi Lesa! You’re right, as long as the message is opened through TextNow (and not your regular texting app), there’s no way for them to know that it’s been opened.
– James McAllister
James McAllister(Quote)