Messaging & Chat
Message status explained (sent, delivered, read, failed)
2 minutes read time Difficulty: beginner
Message status explained
Every message you send goes through delivery stages, shown by tick marks in the chat.
Status indicators
| Icon | Status | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 🕐 | Pending | Message is being processed |
| ✓ | Sent | Message left AIsoule servers and reached WhatsApp |
| ✓✓ | Delivered | Message arrived on recipient's phone |
| ✓✓ (blue) | Read | Recipient opened and saw the message |
| ❌ | Failed | Message could not be delivered |
How status updates work
- You send a message → Status: Sent (✓)
- WhatsApp delivers to recipient's phone → Status: Delivered (✓✓)
- Recipient opens the chat → Status: Read (✓✓ blue)
Status updates happen in real-time via webhooks from Meta.
When status doesn't update
- Stuck on Sent (✓) — Recipient's phone may be off or has no internet. It will deliver when they come online.
- Delivered but never Read — Recipient hasn't opened the chat yet. This is normal — not everyone reads immediately.
- Read receipts disabled — Some users disable read receipts in WhatsApp settings. You'll see Delivered but never Read.
Viewing status in campaigns
In campaign reports, you see aggregate counts:
- Sent: X messages
- Delivered: X messages
- Read: X messages
- Failed: X messages
Calculate your rates:
- Delivery rate = Delivered / Sent × 100%
- Read rate = Read / Delivered × 100%
Good benchmarks
| Metric | Good | Concerning |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery rate | > 95% | < 90% |
| Read rate | > 60% | < 40% |
| Failure rate | < 3% | > 5% |
Tips
- Don't worry about unread — People read messages at their own pace
- High failure rate? — Check why messages fail
- Track over time — Compare rates week-over-week for trends
- Read rate varies — Marketing messages have lower read rates than transactional
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