You read my message and never replied! WhatsApp ‘blue ticks’ mean you can’t ignore messages

WhatsApp’s ‘blue ticks’ that now indicate whether or not the person you are sending messages to has actually read your message, is generating a lot of interest, given the massive popularity of the messaging app.

Although many earlier believed that one tick means your message is sent and two ticks means it has been received/read, that was never the case. The two ticks always meant the message had been delivered, but there was no way you would know if and when the message was read. This means, you could easily ignore a message or simply excuse yourself by saying, “I read it late” or “just saw your message”.

But now with the new WhatsApp update  there is no way you can get away with the same tired excuses. While most of us (read me) are happy to know that we can pull up a dear one for not responding to our message in spite of viewing it, always remember, you could often find yourself in the offending situation.

On a personal front, I feel the update has both its good and its bad. On one hand, it means I can no longer tell people I didn’t feel like responding to that I was busy with work and didn’t see the message. On the other hand, it allows me to call out people who are clearly reading and ignoring my messages.

So does the good outweigh the bad with this update?

We asked some avid WhatsApp users what they think about the new “double blue tick” feature. Most of them don’t seem really happy with this move.  Here’s what they had to say:

Rajesh D’silva tells us, “Frankly I find it annoying. If one is so concerned about ensuring that your contact read your messages, I feel the best way is to just call the person. Sometimes you may be busy and may have read a message and not responded, and some of your contacts may find that rude. It may create misunderstanding amongst people. As it is you have the two tick marks and the ‘Last Read At’ indicator, but yet another indicator to ensure your message is delivered and read is a bit much. I could do without it.”

Anuradha Shetty, Communications professional says, “The new blue ticks feature on Whatsapp is interesting. Now there’ll be no more of “Oh, I didn’t read that message of yours” situations, as the sender has a sure shot way of knowing his message has been read.”

Aditi Swaminathan says “Seems like WhatsApp adapted BBMs main USP of messages being delivered and Read. Honestly, don’t seem very content with this move.The simplicity of the app was just sending and receiving messages and now, as WhatApp gives you the power to know when your message has been read or no, be prepared for, “You read my message but did not reply!”

For some of us who prefer small known groups rather than the long-list of acquaintances on Facebook, and who are extremely active on WhatsApp, it could be a tricky situation. For instance, sometimes, you may just not feel like replying to a message. In such cases too, if you see the message then you are obliged to respond or it may create a misunderstanding.

Interestingly, the blue ticks also work in group messaging. So, the ticks will turn blue when all the members of the group have seen the messages. Those who are heavy users of WhatsApp know that there is always one lurker in an extremely active group chat who never responds, but enjoys the whole conversation. Now they will all be caught out! However, looks like, the blue ticks feature don’t work if you are using a custom ROM or at least the popup says so.

WhatsApp has never taken the stealthy approach and even earlier one could easily see when a person was last online. However, it gives an option to turn off the “last seen at” option, but now there seems to be no way that you can turn off these blue ticks. It looks like this feature is bound to receive flak. Let’s wait and see if users compel WhatsApp to disable it.