Read Receipt

General definition

A read receipt is a status update attached to a message that changes from “delivered” to “read” (or “seen”) once the recipient’s client confirms the message was opened. It is one of the most requested features in any in-app messaging product because it closes the uncertainty loop for senders.

• Delivery receipt: the message reached the server or the recipient’s device
• Read receipt: the recipient’s app registered that the message was viewed
• Displayed as checkmarks, eye icons, avatar thumbnails, or timestamp labels depending on the product

On the back end, the client fires a read event (or acknowledgement) to the server when the message scrolls into view or the conversation window gains focus. The server propagates this state change to the sender in real time, typically over a persistent WebSocket connection. In group conversations the receipt may aggregate to show how many members have read the message.

Privacy considerations matter. Many users disable read receipts to avoid the social pressure of an implied instant reply. Well-designed systems make read receipts opt-out or, in regulated contexts, configurable by administrators.

In the Ethora ecosystem

The Ethora Chat SDK includes read-receipt tracking out of the box across web, iOS and Android. Message state transitions (sent, delivered, read) are propagated in real time over the XMPP connection and surfaced through the SDK’s event callbacks, so product teams can render checkmarks or seen-by lists without building their own acknowledgement layer.

For regulated deployments, such as healthcare messaging or financial-services chat, read receipts also contribute to the audit log: knowing when a clinical alert or trade notification was seen is itself a compliance record. Self-hosted and dedicated Ethora deployments retain this data within your own infrastructure.