How to read messages on Facebook Messenger without the sender knowing

Messaging services have spurred new ways of communicating around the world. That blue checkmark is a confirmation that your message has arrived and been read. You know it. The recipient knows it.  And that can be awkward at times.

In the case of WhatsApp, you can disable the message confirmation, but with Facebook Messenger it’s not so easy… or maybe it is. We’ll show you how to read messages on Facebook Messenger without the sender knowing.

On your cell phone

Let’s start this guide with your smartphone, where this app is most used. In the case of mobile devices, making it so Facebook Messenger doesn’t detect your view is so easy it might scare you: simply put it on Airplane Mode. Yup, that’s the big reveal. If you put it on this mode, your messages on Facebook Messenger won’t appear as seen.

This happens because the app downloads all the messages going to your phone, regardless of whether they are read or not. However, if you enable Airplane Mode and then go into the messaging app, without internet there won’t be any read receipt or even the possibility of responding. It’s the modern day equivalent of “driving into a tunnel.”

On your PC

We already mentioned that it’s pretty easy to get this unseen message with your smartphone and it’s just as straightforward with your PC, though there are a few additional steps.

If you use Google Chrome, what you should do is install the extension Unseen. The name is straightforward. It blocks received messages so they don’t appear as read when you go into the app.

FB Unseen Download Free

If you use Mozilla Firefox, there are several extensions like this, though our advice is to go for Message Seen Disable. It works pretty well and doesn’t give you any trouble with browsing or using Facebook Messenger, so it’s one of the best options.

Now that you know how to read messages without them appearing as seen, you just have to choose how to do it. We like the smartphone method best, which takes a matter of seconds (literally) to complete the process. It’s up to you.