# Message delivery and read receipts

Use message delivery indicators and failure details to distinguish sending problems from a customer who has not replied.

*Release 3.3 · developer, operator, visitor*

**Conversation pane › Message delivery indicators**

## What it is

Delivery indicators show the progress of an outgoing message. They help you tell whether a message is still sending, has been delivered, has been seen or has failed. The available information depends on the messaging platform.

## Who uses it and why

- Operators check whether a reply reached the customer and inspect failures before retrying.
- Visitors may see receipt information supported by their chat experience or messaging app.
- Developers should treat provider acknowledgements separately from message creation and customer replies.

## Where to find it

Look beside outgoing messages in the conversation pane. Hover over a failure indicator to see its explanation when one is available.

## How it works

The operator timeline uses these labels:

| Label | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| **Sending** | Sending is in progress. |
| **Sent** | The message has reached the sent stage; this does not establish a read receipt. |
| **Delivered** | INSIDE has recorded a delivery acknowledgement. |
| **Seen** | INSIDE has recorded a read acknowledgement. |
| **Not Delivered** | Sending failed or a pre-send step such as translation failed. |

Updates can arrive after the message first appears. An incoming customer reply is separate from a delivery or read acknowledgement.

For a failed email, use **Retry Sending Email** where offered. A translation failure can offer **Retry Sending** or **Send without translation**. Check the error explanation and the text before choosing either action.

## Configure it

Receipt availability follows the connected provider. There is no common receipt timeout to configure here. Ask Powerfront to configure email send delay and retry behaviour in the email settings. Operators with the **Settings** or **Developer** role configure translation in its own settings.

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Chat | View delivery feedback on conversations available to your account. |

## Limits and good to know

- **Sent** does not mean **Seen**.
- A platform may supply delivery feedback without supplying read receipts.
- Retry controls are available only for supported failure cases. Do not assume every failed social message has a retry action.
- Deletion and provider updates can change an existing message's display. These indicators do not provide a universal edit or recall guarantee.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Requires** [Messages and rich content](CHAT-002.md): Delivery feedback belongs to individual conversation messages.
- **Configured in** [Email send cancellation and delivery failures](CHN-031.md): Email outbox settings control delay, undo and retries.
- **Works better with** [Conversation translation](CHAT-023.md): Translation failures can stop a message before it is sent.
- **Works better with** [Webhooks and message status](CHN-003.md): Connected messaging providers can supply delivery and read acknowledgements.

### Used by

- **Required by** [Visitor chat notifications](VX-015.md): Unread indicators use message delivery and read state.
- **Enhances** [Operator replies and comments](CON-015.md): Delivery and read feedback appears beside sent messages when the channel supports it.
- **Enhances** [History and message inspection](CON-016.md): Supported delivery and read indicators appear alongside messages.
- **Enhances** [Messages and rich content](CHAT-002.md): Delivery indicators report the state of outgoing messages.
- **Enhances** [Visitor messages and sending feedback](VX-006.md): Delivery and read receipts are separate from local sending feedback.
- **Enhances** [Previous chat history for visitors](VX-033.md): The visitor pane updates read state when its focus and open-state conditions are met.
- **Enhances** [Webhooks and message status](CHN-003.md): Supported callbacks update message delivery and read indicators.
- **Enhances** [WhatsApp channel setup](CHN-006.md): Provider events update outgoing message status.
- **Enhances** [Facebook Messenger channel setup](CHN-010.md): Read callbacks and send failures update message status.
- **Enhances** [Viber messaging channel setup](CHN-016.md): Delivered, seen and failed notifications update message status.
- **Enhances** [Vonage connection for Viber](CHN-017.md): Vonage delivery, read and failure reports update message status.
- **Enhances** [Legacy Google Business Messages connection](CHN-020.md): Provider receipts can update message delivery and read status.
- **Enhances** [Legacy Twitter direct messages](CHN-021.md): Matching provider read notifications can mark an outgoing message as read.
- **Enhances** [SMS number and channel setup](CHN-022.md): Provider delivery and failure reports update message status.
- **Enhances** [Email send cancellation and delivery failures](CHN-031.md): Outgoing messages display delivery or failure feedback.
- **Related** [Visitor connection recovery](VIS-022.md): Check message delivery feedback separately when deciding whether to resend after a connection interruption.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why does a message stay at Sent?

The provider may not supply a later delivery or read acknowledgement. Check for an explicit error before treating it as a failure.

### Why is a translated message Not Delivered?

Translation can fail before sending. Hover over the indicator and use the offered retry or untranslated-send action if appropriate.

### Can I assume the customer has read a Delivered message?

No. **Seen** is the separate read indicator, where the platform supplies it.

### Why is there no retry button?

Retry options depend on the platform, failure type and conversation state. Read the available error detail and follow the relevant channel's sending rules.