What Does One Check Mark Mean on WhatsApp? What to Know

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Learn what read receipt symbols indicate on WhatsApp

Co-authored by Rain Kengly Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: March 24, 2025 Fact Checked

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What does one tick mean?

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Am I blocked?

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Troubleshooting

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Signs You're Blocked

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What does each checkmark mean?

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Why Your Message May Be Unread

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FAQs

Are you curious about what the symbols mean on WhatsApp messages? If you only see one grey check mark next to the messages you sent, this means your message was successfully sent to the servers but hasn't reached the recipient's device yet. This wikiHow will explain what one check mark means on WhatsApp, how to troubleshoot it, and signs you may be blocked by the recipient.

One Check Mark WhatsApp: What It Means

If you're seeing only one check on your WhatsApp messages, your message was sent to WhatsApp's servers, but it hasn't reached the recipient's phone yet. This doesn't necessarily mean you're blocked; it could just indicate connection issues.

Section 1 of 7:

What does one check mark on WhatsApp mean?

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One grey check mark means the message was sent successfully. However, this doesn't mean that the recipient received the message. One grey tick means the message has reached the WhatsApp servers, but two grey ticks mean the message has actually been delivered to the recipient's device. If the two ticks are blue, that means the message has been delivered successfully, and the recipient has read the message.
- Keep in mind that even if they have read receipts turned off, you should still be able to see at least one check mark.

Section 2 of 7:

Does one check mark mean I'm blocked?

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If two check marks never appear, it's possible the recipient does not have an internet or cellular connection or they have turned off their device. They may have also placed their phone or tablet into airplane mode. If you've been blocked by a user, you'll only be able to see one check mark when you send messages, regardless of their read receipt settings.

Section 3 of 7:

Troubleshooting

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If you don't think you were blocked by the recipient, it's likely that they have no connection or their device is turned off. If a lot of time has passed and you still don't see two checkmarks, the recipient may have disabled their account or temporarily uninstalled WhatsApp.
If you can't reach the recipient on WhatsApp, try sending them a message on a different app, like Facebook or Instagram, if you have them added there. You may be able to get an explanation for why your messages aren't going through on WhatsApp.
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Check your internet connection. If someone else only sees one check mark when sending messages to you, this means your Android, iPhone, or iPad hasn't downloaded the message from WhatsApp's servers. Check your internet and cellular connection, and troubleshoot the problem if necessary.
- Alternatively, you can check your messages on a different platform, such as WhatsApp web on a computer.

Section 4 of 7:

Signs You're Blocked on WhatsApp

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When you're blocked on WhatsApp, you can no longer see the person's status. By default, status updates are shared with all of a user's contacts. If you suddenly can't see the status, you may have been blocked, or the user has their status visibility set to select people.^{[1]
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If you're blocked on WhatsApp, any calls you try to make to the recipient won't go through. However, this could also mean that the recipient has no internet or cellular connection.
If you're the admin for a WhatsApp group and you can't add someone, this could indicate that you're on their block list. If other people can add them to groups, this is most likely true.
If you know the recipient has this feature enabled and you suddenly can't see their Last Seen or Online status, it could mean they have blocked you. However, keep in mind that this feature can easily be disabled in a user's privacy settings.
If a user's photo is old and you know they usually update it often, you may be blocked. When someone blocks you on WhatsApp, you won't be able to see when they've updated their profile photo.

Section 5 of 7:

What does each checkmark mean?

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One grey check mark. The message has successfully reached WhatsApp's servers.
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Two grey check marks. The message has been delivered to the recipient but has not been read.
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Two blue check marks. The message has been delivered and read by the recipient.
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Two grey check marks with Read Receipts disabled. The message has been delivered, and the message may or may not be read.

Section 6 of 7:

Why Your Message May Be Unread

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Your message might be shown as unread if the user has no Wi-Fi or cellular connection to download your message from the WhatsApp server.
This mode effectively stops notifications by cutting off all wireless and cellular capabilities on their device. They may have Airplane Mode enabled due to traveling or to limit distractions.
If a user has archived a chat, it completely disappears from the chat log. It's possible the recipient has archived the conversation and may have forgotten to restore it, or they may be waiting for a better time to restore it. In this case, it's easy for your message to stay unread for a long period of time.
If the recipient is running an older version of WhatsApp, they may be experiencing software bugs that impact their device's ability to receive and read messages.
If the recipient is using a modded version of WhatsApp, it may disable Read Receipts on their end.

Section 7 of 7:

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the difference between one and two grey ticks? One grey tick means the message reached the WhatsApp server but has not reached the recipient's device. Two grey ticks means the message has been successfully delivered to the device.
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What does two blue ticks mean on WhatsApp? Two blue ticks means that the recipient has seen and read your message successfully. This also means that they have Read Receipts enabled.
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The user read my message but there's still two grey ticks. If you know the recipient saw your message but the two ticks aren't blue, this is because the recipient has Read Receipts turned off. You'll only see the ticks turn blue if the recipient received and read the message and has Read Receipts turned on. Otherwise, it will remain grey.
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Should I disable Read Receipts? If you don't want the other party to know when you've read their messages, you should disable Read Receipts. However, if you want the other party to know (since you're likely too busy to respond), you should leave it enabled.
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How do I disable Read Receipts? To disable Read Receipts on WhatsApp, open your Settings and navigate to Privacy. Toggle off Read Receipts.^{[2]
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Do I see blue ticks in WhatsApp group messages? You'll only see the blue ticks when everyone in the group message has read the message.