WHATSAPP is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family but users might wonder what the difference is between the colour of the ticks.

We’ve all seen the double blue tick on Whatsapp, but the single and double grey ones aren’t quite so clear. Here’s what we know.

What does one grey tick mean on WhatsApp?

If you see a single grey tick it means that the message you’ve sent has been delivered to the Whatsapp server.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s been received on your contact’s device yet.

This could mean their phone is switched off or without signal.

But if it has been a long time, it could mean that you may have been blocked.

Another explanation could be that the person you’re trying to reach has not updated their app or perhaps deleted it altogether.

What do the blue ticks mean on WhatsApp?

The two blue ticks indicate that the message has been sent and read.

If you’re not getting a response, it could mean that the person has opened the message but might have forgotten to reply.

Or it could mean they’re ghosting you.

Can you turn the blue ticks off?

It’s possible to switch the blue ticks off so that people aren’t aware if you’ve read the message or not.

This is a great little privacy boost because you can have a look at a message and don’t need to reply straight away.

To turn blue ticks off open WhatsApp and tap the Settings cog to turn read receipts off.

Tap Privacy.

You should see the Read Receipts option.

WhatsApp

Turn the toggle off.

However, this could mean that you can also no longer see when others have received or looked at your messages.

What happens if your ticks stay grey on WhatsApp?

Grey ticks can mean various things on WhatsApp.

The most obvious and likely explanation for two grey ticks is that the person hasn’t had a chance to open it yet.

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Follow the steps above if you want to turn your read receipts off for more privacy[/caption]

But if you’ve seen the person online and they remain grey, it could be that they have read receipts off.

WhatsApp deliberately keeps the indicators that you have been blocked ambiguous to maintain users’ privacy.

However, the main signs you have been blocked include:

• You can no longer see a contact’s last seen or online in the chat window
• You do not see updates to a contact’s profile photo
• Any messages sent to a contact who has blocked you will always show one tick and never two ticks
• Any calls you attempt to place will not go through.