Incognito Mode - Getting Started Guide
TL;DR: Incognito Mode gives you more control over your privacy while reading and replying to messages. When enabled, it prevents read receipts from being sent and keeps chats marked as unread on the original messaging platform—until you choose otherwise.
Whether you're catching up quietly or taking your time to respond, Stealth Mode makes it possible.
What Incognito Mode Does
When Stealth Mode is on, messages you read in Beeper will not send read receipts to your contact. This means the conversation stays unread on the original chat app (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Facebook, etc). You can still manually choose to mark a chat as read when you're ready.
Typing indicators can be hidden or shown—you decide!
How to Use It (By Platform)
On Desktop
-
Go to:
Settings > General > Incognito Mode - Toggle on Enable Incognito Mode.
- Optionally disable or enable typing indicators.
What you’ll notice:
- The message thread will say: “Unread until you reply.”
- A “Mark as read” button appears at the bottom of the chat.
- Your contact will only see Delivered, not Read, until:
- You send a reply
- You manually mark the chat as read
- You can also right-click on any message and select Mark as read.
On Android
-
Go to:
Settings > Preferences > Incognito Mode - Toggle on Stealth Mode.
Key behavior:
- Stealth Mode on Android is client-specific (won’t sync to other devices).
- Long-press an unread message to bring up Mark as read.
- Marking a message as read here syncs across platforms (and vice versa).
- Replying or using Mark as read will sync with the native app and update read status for your contact.
On iOS
-
Go to:
Settings > Preferences > Incognito Mode - Toggle on Stealth Mode.
Key behavior:
- You can also toggle “Show recipients I’m typing”.
- When disabled, typing indicators are hidden. When enabled, they behave normally.
How Your Contact Sees It
- Until you manually mark a message as read or reply:
- Your contact will see the message as Delivered, not Read.
- Once marked/read, the chat behaves as expected for each platform:
| Platform | What they’ll see |
|---|---|
| Blue double checkmarks | |
| Telegram | Double checkmarks |
| Signal | Opaque double checkmarks |
| Facebook/Instagram | "Seen" or avatar next to message |
| Google Chat | Your avatar |
| Twitter (X) | “Seen” or “Seen By” |
| Your avatar | |
| Matrix | “Seen by [your name]” |
| Google Messages | Blue double checkmarks |
| Slack / Discord | No read receipts ❌ |
Platform Sync Behavior
| Action | Syncs Across Devices? |
|---|---|
| Enabling Stealth Mode | ❌ No, per-device |
| Marking messages as read | ✅ Yes |
| Sending a reply | ✅ Yes |
| Changing typing indicator | ❌ No, per-device |
Tips & Notes
- Stealth Mode is perfect for staying under the radar while staying informed.
- Messages remain unread on the native chat app until you interact with them.
- You’re always in control—either reply, or mark the thread as read manually when you're ready.
- Want to stay stealthy but show when you’re typing? That’s your call—just toggle it on or off.
Having Issues?
If Stealth Mode isn’t working as expected, please double-check that you are on +Beeper Plus or ++Beeper Plus Plus. If your paid subscription is enabled and active, and it's still not working, please grab screenshots and screen recordings of the behavior and attach them to a report from the app in question.