Source: EXTFANS
As a national app with over a billion users, any addition or removal of features in WeChat attracts significant user attention.
Recently, the topic of WeChat displaying read receipts trended online, prompting an official response from WeChat.
Regarding the potential addition of a read receipt feature, some users commented: “I estimate I would be judged by my friends for not replying, not because I don’t want to, but because I forgot to reply.”
In response to the heated discussion, the Tencent WeChat team recently stated on their official account: “Rest assured, there is no ‘if’.” This indicates that WeChat officially denies the possibility of implementing a read receipt feature.
The read receipt feature is common in many instant messaging and social applications, displaying the delivery status of sent messages, allowing users to know whether their messages have been seen or not.
This feature is inherently useful; however, the read receipt function often leads to feelings of disappointment when messages are read but not replied to. WeChat’s decision not to implement this feature is not due to technical limitations, but rather a consideration of its social impact.
Meanwhile, Zhang Jun, the public relations director of Tencent, stated: “Read receipts increase the psychological burden and social pressure on the message recipient. Therefore, from the very beginning, WeChat has firmly decided not to display this feature, and it will not do so in the future.”
Zhang Jun expressed that, from the sender’s perspective, it is certainly necessary to know whether the recipient has received the message, and having a “read” indicator seems to solve this problem well.
However, for the recipient, the pressure becomes significant. Once marked as “read”, the next question is, “Should I reply or not?”
“If the other party clearly knows I have read it, but I don’t reply, is that inappropriate? If it’s a message from a superior, the pressure is even greater,” Zhang Jun added.
This means that for those still hoping for a read receipt feature in WeChat, it’s time to abandon that thought and stop bringing it up.
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