Here’s how to stop people from knowing you’ve seen their Facebook message.

You’re sitting there patiently (ish), waiting for a response to your carefully thought out Facebook message. Alas, you see that they’re online! A response will land in your inbox any minute now, you’re sure of it. You give them a few minutes to assess your message and formulate their own thought provoking reply.

Nothing.

You open up the message thread, see the dreaded ‘seen’ receipt, and your heart drops. Do you not… like me?

Whether you’re the one receiving the receipt or sending it, we’ve all experienced the feeling of having our message ignored on Facebook. This leads us to question the supposed benefits of this feature altogether, because – sorry, what exactly are its benefits?

Listen: Are you mildly offended by your Facebook ads? (Post continues after audio.)

But there are ways, friends, to avoid this feeling, or to avoid being responsible for someone else feeling like they’ve been kicked to the curb. As always, we have the answers.

It’s understandable that sometimes you may not want to continue a Facebook conversation with someone, or perhaps more commonly, you just don’t have time to reply at the exact moment you read the message.

Whatever the reason, there’s a solution, and it goes by the name, ‘Facebook Unseen’.

Yes, notifications will allow you to read short messages without clicking on the message itself, but for those longwinded messages that more so resemble letters, ‘Facebook Unseen’ will do the job discreetly as effortlessly.

This browser can only be installed for Google Chrome use, so it only blocks read receipts while you’re using your desktop, not your mobile phone device.

But have no fear; we bring you solution number two. My sister introduced this clever hack to me not long ago, and the response (my own) has been overwhelmingly positive.

After receiving the message, turn your phone on airplane mode, and voila – the world is your oyster.

Peruse Facebook Messenger as freely as you wish, but be sure to quit messenger, not just exit it, as soon as you’re done, and before you turn airplane mode off again. This means doing the old double click of the home button, then swiping up the Facebook Messenger app.

We know you’ll be thanking us, so although pre-emptive, you’re welcome. Happy inconspicuous viewing!

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