How To Read Whatsapp Messages Without Opening Them: Secretly Read Messages

With WhatsApp now featuring read receipts, is there a way to peek at WhatsApp messages without opening them? While it's only for newer iPhone users, we've found a way to secretly read your WhatsApp messages without the sender knowing.

With WhatsApp reportedly gaining an average of 1m new users per day with 70 percent of users using the app on a daily basis, it’s one of the biggest instant messaging platforms on the planet. While recent additions like video calling are welcomed with
open arms by users, it’s not the case with every new feature. A while ago, WhatsApp introduced read receipts that let the sender know once their message has been viewed by the recipient. While some reacted positively, other users shared their disappointment at the introduction of the feature – we assume those are the kind of people that like to read and not reply to messages. Read next: How to use WhatsApp hands-free with Siri

But what can you do if you want to peek at an unread WhatsApp message and not let the sender know you’ve seen it? Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

How to peek at WhatsApp messages without opening them:

 

So, how can you peek at WhatsApp messages without opening them, and without WhatsApp marking the recipient’s message as ‘read’? While it’s extremely easy to do, we’re afraid that the functionality is only available for iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7 and 7 Plus users due to the 3D Touch nature of the how-to.

For WhatsApp users that do own one of the aforementioned devices, follow these instructions:

1. Make sure your WhatsApp app is up to date. WhatsApp introduced 3D Touch capabilities back in 2015, so chances are that the app has already been updated. Anything higher than WhatsApp 2.12.11 should be fine.
2. Instead of tapping on the conversation with the message you want to peek at, push down on the conversation with some force to activate the 3D Touch ‘Peek’ window. This window will give you a quick glance at previously sent and received messages, along with the newly received message.
3. From here you can either push harder to ‘pop’ the window and make it full-screen, or you can let go of the display and have it refer to its earlier state. Doing the latter will not mark your message as ‘read’ on the recipient’s phone, allowing extra time to reply to the message without the pressure of the person knowing you’ve seen the message.

It’s worth noting that WhatsApp also allows you to mark a conversation as unread once you’ve opened it, but this doesn’t affect the read receipt status – if you open it, the sender will know.