Discord has quickly become one of the most popular communication platforms, especially among gamers and online communities. With its robust messaging capabilities, Discord allows users to have conversations in real-time through text, voice, and video.
One handy feature in Discord is the ability to see whether a message you sent has been read by the recipient. This can help you know if your message has been seen and potentially prompt a response.
In this beginner’s guide, I’ll walk you through the simple methods to check if a Discord message is read or not. Let’s get started!
Check Read Receipts
The easiest way to see if someone has read your message on Discord is to look for the read receipt.
When you send a direct message to another user, a delivered receipt will first appear below your message to indicate it has successfully been sent. This delivered icon looks like an arrow.
Once the recipient opens the direct message thread and views your message, the delivered icon will change to a read receipt icon, which looks like two arrows forming an open envelope.
This is the clear indication that your Discord DM has been successfully read by the other person. The read receipt will persist until the next time that user views the direct message thread again.
So whenever you need to swiftly check if a message is read in Discord, look out for the double arrow read receipt icon. It’s the definitive proof your message has been seen.
Check Last Seen Status
Another method you can use to verify if someone has potentially read your Discord message is by looking at their Last Seen status.
On Discord, you can enable an option to display the last time you were actively online to other users by toggling User Settings > Privacy & Safety > Display Current Status > Show Current Activity.
With this enabled, other users can see your Last Seen time when they view your profile popout by clicking on your profile image or username.
If you suspect a user may have read your recent message but the read receipt has not updated yet, take a look at their Last Seen time. If it shows they were recently online, it’s likely they would have seen your waiting message.
However, this is not a foolproof method as the user could have been idle or missed your message among other conversations. So the read receipt should take precedence as the definite indicator.
Understand Message Status Indicators
In addition to read receipts, Discord provides other message status indicators that give insights into whether a message was received and read.
Here are some other message status icons and what they signify:
- Hourglass icon – This means your message is still sending and has not yet been delivered.
- Arrow icon – The arrow indicates your message has been successfully delivered to the recipient’s Discord app.
- Double check mark – When you see two check marks, it means the recipient has read your Discord message on their mobile app. This generally appears in addition to the double arrow read receipt.
So if you don’t see any icons below your sent message, you can deduce neither delivery nor reading has occurred yet. The hourglass icon means it’s still pending. Once delivered, you’ll see the single arrow first before the double arrow and double check marks pop in after reading.
Understand Limitations
While read receipts and status indicators are handy for gauging message readership, there are some limitations to be aware of:
- No read receipts in servers – Read receipts only apply to direct messages between two users. Messages you send in Discord servers will not show read status.
- Can be turned off – Users can disable read receipts in their privacy settings, which means messages will never show the double arrow icon.
- Delayed syncing – Sometimes there is a lag before read receipts sync across devices. The recipient may have read your message on desktop before it shows as read on mobile.
- Third-party apps – Messages read via third-party Discord apps may not accurately sync read receipts.
So ultimately, a missing read receipt doesn’t definitively mean an urgent message was ignored. The limitations above should be factored in when interpreting message status.
Use Bots to Track Message Reads
Looking for even more visibility into your Discord message delivery? Some third-party bots have been developed to provide enhanced read tracking services.
Bots like Discord Read Receipt Tracker and ReadAll work by essentially duplicating your message and sending it as a bot message as well. This causes read receipts to display when recipients open the bot message.
Setup can be a bit complex for the average user. But these bots can provide more definitive read tracking if you regularly need to know when vital messages are seen.
Just be mindful that some users may find it invasive if they receive bot copies of messages unexpectedly. Always clarify the purpose if enabling read bot services in shared servers.
See Who Is Lurking in Voice Channels
In addition to tracking text chat message reads, Discord also lets you see who is lurking in your voice channels.
When you join a voice channel, Discord shows you all other members currently connected in that channel under the Voice Users list.
But what about users who join stealthily to listen in without actively participating? Discord displays those lurkers too.
To reveal them, click on the server or channel name at the top of the screen instead of the Voice Users list. This will expand a member panel that shows both Active Users talking and Lurkers listening in.
So if you ever feel someone is eavesdropping on your voice conversations, that member panel exposes who it is. The lurkers will have voice icons but show as inactive.
Use Common Troubleshooting Tips
If you are expecting a read receipt or specific status icon but don’t see it, a few quick troubleshooting steps may help:
- Reload your Discord app or browser window to refresh the interface. Syncing issues can sometimes be fixed with a quick restart.
- Check your Internet connection stability. Read receipts rely on constant connectivity, so verify you have a strong signal.
- For mobile users, check that you have allowed Discord notification access in your device settings outside the app. This permits read receipts to be conveyed.
- Make sure read receipts are enabled in your Discord user settings. Toggle off then on again under the Privacy & Safety tab.
- Open the direct message thread with the user to trigger all past receipts to sync up. Old read statuses can take time to update.
With those simple troubleshooting tips, you can hopefully resolve any missing or delayed read receipts in Discord when needed.
Wrap Up
Being able to see whether your Discord messages are read provides useful insight into how conversations are progressing. I hope this guide gave you a good grasp of the various techniques available.
Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions. Happy Discord messaging!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do blocked users on Discord still see your read receipts?
No, if you block someone on Discord they will no longer be able to view any read receipt indicators for your messages. This also hides your Last Seen status from blocked users.
Can server admins see read receipts for all messages in their servers?
No, regular server admins do not have any special permissions to view read receipts for messages sent between members in their servers. Read receipts are only visible to the sender and recipient in direct message conversations.
Does deleting a message on Discord remove the read receipt?
Yes, if a user deletes a Discord message the read receipt showing it was read will also be deleted and will disappear. However, the other user will still have seen the read indicator before it was deleted.
Can read receipts be turned on for specific friends only?
Unfortunately no, the read receipt setting in Discord is global and cannot be customized to show for some friends while hiding from others. It’s an all or nothing setting.
Will embeds and attachments show as read when the message is opened?
Yes, opening a Discord message with embedded images, videos, or other files will trigger the read receipt and double arrow icon, even if they don’t click the attachments themselves.
Do read receipts work the same on desktop and mobile apps?
Yes, the functionality for enabling read receipts and viewing message status indicators works consistently across both the desktop apps and mobile apps for Discord.
Can someone see if I screenshot their message on Discord?
No, unlike read receipts there is no indicator shown when someone takes a screenshot of your Discord message. Screenshots are private.
How long does the read receipt icon remain before disappearing?
The double arrow read indicator persists whenever the DM thread is opened again. It only disappears after the recipient returns and opens the message thread once more.
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