How we communicate via messaging apps like WhatsApp is constantly changing, with a recent development allowing users to share photos and videos that disappear from message threads after they have been viewed.

But still, many of us can be left confused or in a state of anxiety over what some small ticks in the app actually mean.

Since the invention of the dreaded ‘read’ or ‘seen’ notifications on the Facebook-owned platform, you have probably doubted yourself so many times on your knowledge of the tick system.

Have they read? Have they ignored it? Should you send a prodding question mark? – You know who you are.

Well, we are sick of you freaking yourself out about whether you are being ignored or not, so here is what you need to know about WhatsApp and its special tick system.

What do the grey ticks mean?

A single grey tick means that your message has been successfully sent through WhatsApp.

You may see a square clock symbol in the bottom right corner of your message while it is waiting for an appropriate connection to send.

Then, once you see the solitary grey tick, the next step is seeing the two grey ticks side by side.

The two grey ticks mean that the message was successfully delivered to the recipient’s device.

This could mean that the notification has landed on their home screen and they haven’t unlocked the device, or they have seen the preview of your message but just haven’t actually clicked into the conversation to properly read it.

What do blue ticks mean?

When the two grey ticks turn into two blue ticks, the recipient has actually read your message.

They have clicked into the conversation thread and seen your message. It’s read.

WhatsApp sadly can’t tell you if the person has read the entire message – they can only tell you that they have clicked into the conversation. Chances are, they have read it all though.

How to hide your blue ticks on WhatsApp

Read receipts – or the blue ticks – can be disabled to avoid the stress of thinking about or knowing when somebody has left you on read.

First head to WhatsApp on your phone and open the ‘settings’ section. Now go to ‘account’ and tap on the ‘privacy’ option. Scroll down to ‘read receipts’ and disable it.

This will mean you no longer see when somebody has read your message – and vice versa.

Facebook is tipped to be working on the ability to edit messages – an idea that was ditched five years ago but developers are now reportedly working on.

You can rest easy now.

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