A blue dot next to a phone contact on Android usually means they have RCS (Rich Communication Services) chat features enabled, allowing for enhanced messaging like read receipts, typing indicators, high-quality media, and secure chats over Wi-Fi/data, similar to iMessage or WhatsApp. It signifies you're using an upgraded chat experience rather than basic SMS/MMS with that person, though sometimes it can indicate an unread notification or app-specific status.
A blue dot next to a contact profile icon on an Android phone means that the user can use the chat messaging feature with that particular contact to send or receive messages over the internet.
In this case, the blue dot means that the message, or the contact, supports Rich Communication Service (RCS); an upgraded version of SMS and MMS.
The primary function of the blue dot is to signal that your Android device is actively using location services. Think of it as a silent notification, a visual cue that your phone is aware of where it is, or at least, trying to be. It's the digital equivalent of a secret agent constantly tracking your movements.
Mark individual messages read or unread
Unread messages in Front have a blue dot to the left of the message. Once you've read a message in Front, the blue dot disappears. A conversation is marked as read once you've selected the conversation and read it, or by clicking the blue dot to the left of an unread message.
See if Your Text Message Has Been Read on Android
To receive read receipts for text messages on Android, you must enable RCS chats and read receipts. You can do so in the Settings menu on both Google Messages and Samsung Messages. Both parties must be connected to the internet and have read receipts turned on.
Unlike iPhones, which have a green dot and an orange dot to differentiate features, Android phones use one icon to signal them all. If your phone has a green dot in the corner, then one of the apps that you currently have open is using the microphone or camera on your device.
You can use read receipts to automatically let someone know when you've seen their text messages. When read receipts are turned on, the sender sees the word “Read” below messages they've sent to you, indicating that you've read their message. If you haven't read their message, the sender sees “Delivered.”
According to the Samsung Community forum, if you're seeing a blue dot (it may also appear as a blue chat bubble) next to one of your contacts, that means that they have RCS enabled. Instead of an outdated SMS chat with limited functionality, you're using Rich Communication Services to text that contact.
Your contact lens may have a light green or blue tint to help you see it better. This makes it easier to insert and remove your lens. It's easier to find, too, if you drop it. Visibility tints are so faint that they won't affect your vision or eye color.
Once you've disabled Chat messaging for the contact, the blue dot should no longer appear next to their name.
How can you tell if someone is reading your text messages from another phone
One of the biggest indicators that an Android user has blocked your number is when your calls go directly to voicemail after just one ring (or none at all). This is because, when someone blocks your number, their phone does not allow it to ring—it automatically rejects the call.
Restore messages in Google Messages
Navigate to and open the Google Messages app, then tap the Profile icon. Tap Archived, and then touch and hold the message you'd like to recover. You can also tap additional messages in the Archives. Tap the Unarchive icon (the box with an up arrow).
In this case, the blue dot means that the message, or the contact, supports Rich Communication Service (RCS); an upgraded version of SMS and MMS.
The blue location icon on your iPhone isn't just a tiny arrow—it's a real time signal that your location is being tracked. Knowing what it means and actively managing location access for apps and services can go a long way toward protecting your privacy.
You can tell if someone read your text through read receipts in apps like iMessage, Google Messages (RCS), or WhatsApp, which show "Read" with a timestamp when the recipient opens it, if both you and the other person have the feature enabled in your settings. For regular SMS, you'll only see "Delivered," but some apps offer delivery confirmations or you can infer from a quick reply.
Check the Bubble Color
For example, if you send me a message and I receive it with a green bubble, this means that the message was sent through SMS rather than iMessage. If you don't see a blue bubble on your end, then it's likely that they've blocked you on iMessage.
Note: If you mark a chat as unread, the chat will only be marked as unread on your phone. The sender will still see that the message was read.