Delivery & Read Receipts

Messages show WhatsApp-style double-checkmark ticks that indicate delivery and read status in real-time.

Tick States

How It Works

For the Sender

1. Send a message — Single grey checkmark appears (sending state)
2. Message delivered — Changes to double grey checkmarks
3. Message read — Changes to double blue checkmarks

For the Receiver

1. Receive a message — Message appears with no ticks (incoming)
2. Open the chat — All unseen messages are marked as delivered and seen
3. Real-time update — Sender sees ticks update to blue when you read

Features

• Real-time updates — Tick status updates instantly via WebSocket
• WhatsApp-style UI — Familiar double-checkmark design
• Automatic marking — Messages are automatically marked as seen when you open the chat
• Batch processing — All unseen messages are marked at once when chat is opened

Technical Details

Database Columns

The live_chat_messages table includes:

Broadcasting

• Event: message-seen on private-chat.{chatId} channel
• Payload: { liveChatId, seenBy, fromUser }
• Delivery signal: seenBy=0 indicates delivery (not read)
• Read signal: seenBy=1 indicates the message was read

Flow

1. New message created with is_delivered=0
2. Immediately updated to is_delivered=1 (simulating Pusher delivery)
3. MessageSeenEvent fired with seenBy=0 (delivery signal)
4. When recipient opens chat, updateUnSeen() marks messages as seen
5. MessageSeenEvent fired with seenBy=1 (read signal)
6. Sender's UI upgrades grey ticks to blue ticks

Benefits

• Transparency — Know exactly when your message was delivered and read
• Professional communication — Confirm important messages were received
• Trust building — Clear communication status builds confidence
• Conflict resolution — Proof of message delivery and read status

Last updated: September 2026