I had my iPhone for about three days when, mid-text conversation with a friend, I got this
abrupt warning: "BTW your read receipts are on." Newly converted from Android, I had no clue what this meant -- but I continued to receive various iterations of this cryptic text, and to this day I still occasionally do. Not only did I never figure out how to turn them off, I actually got used to them. In fact, I like my read receipts.
For the uninformed, a read receipt is a tiny gray notification that pops up within an iMessage conversation that lets someone know you've opened, and presumably read, their text. Like the "Seen" notification on Facebook Messenger, they make it impossible to claim plausible deniability, so most people don't use them except by accident until a miffed friend tips them off to go adjust their settings. But I for one am a staunch supporter of the read receipt, and encourage its mass adoption as a staple of texting etiquette for grown-ass, self-respecting adults everywhere. Here's why. https://www.thrillist.com/tech/nation/read-receipt-imessage-iphone
