WhatsApp releases update that stops blue ticks
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For many, Whatsapp's blue ticks are a welcome feature that let's users know exactly when their message has been read.
For others, however, they have made it harder to ignore people - and the feature's release earlier this month led to a backlash from a number of disgruntled members.
In response, Whatsapp now lets users disable these Read Receipts - but only if they're using an Android phone.
The update is in beta, which means it is not a full, official release, and it requires users to install the Android APK. Once installed, users can disable the receipts - shown by blue ticks (pictured) - in the Privacy section of Settings. It is not known when the full update will be pushed out to all users, or other platforms
The update is in beta, which means it is not a full, official release, and it requires users to install the Android APK.
Once installed, they can disable the receipts in the Privacy section of Settings.
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It is not known when the full update will be pushed out to all users, or when other platforms, including iOS and BlackBerry, will see the changes.
Before the blue tick update, there were only two types of tick - a single grey tick meant the message had been successfully sent, and a double grey tick meant it had been delivered.
Now, when a message has been sent, delivered and read, the double grey tick turns blue.
In a group chat, the second ticks appear when all participants in the group have received the message.
And two blue ticks only appear when all participants in the group have read the post.
To see what time the messages were read users can now press and hold down on a particular post.
Selecting the Message Info option reveals the time the message was read, and in the case of group messages, what time each member read it.
WhatsApp rolled out the changes to all variations of its app, across iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Nokia S40, Nokia S60 and BlackBerry 10.
Users need to update the app on their devices to see the changes.
More information about the features can be found on WhatsApp's FAQ page.
At the time, the changes divided opinion, especially on Twitter.
In a group chat, blue ticks only appear when all participants have read the message. To see what time the messages were read, users can now press and hold down on a particular post and select the Message Info option. In the case of group messages, this reveals what time each individual member read it (pictured)
Some users were concerned the update makes it harder for them to ignore others, and makes it easier for people to keep tabs on them.
As @the_baba1 wrote: 'So WhatsApp now shows blue ticks to indicate a message has been read. Now stalk with more vengeance.'
Twitter user @carpocarp said: 'The WhatsApp blue tick is going to ruin friendships,' while @archielbar added: 'Those blue ticks will be the death of some of us!'
But not all Twitter users were concerned about the update - @tnicole91 explained: 'I don't get why some people are stressed about this new WhatsApp blue tick.
WhatsApp explained the changes earlier this month, and revealed what the new check marks look like on an official blog post. Some users were concerned the update makes it harder for them to ignore others, and makes it easier for people to keep tabs on them
'For me, if I don't feel like replying, I just don't.'
In an official blog post, WhatsApp tried to reassure users who may be concerned about why a person hadn't received or read their messages.
'If you only see a single check mark next to your message, there is likely nothing wrong with WhatsApp or your phone,' explained the developers.
'There may be several reasons why your message has been sent, but not delivered to your chat partner such as 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 or they might have seen the notification on their screen, but did not launch the app - especially common if the recipient uses an iPhone.'
WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, which has a similar feature on its Messenger app.
When a message is opened and read, a tick appears in the message list and the time it was 'seen' appears in the bottom right-hand corner of the post.
Apple's iMessages also use this feature. To disable this, go to Settings and Messages and switch the Send Read Receipts to off.
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