Gmail
The short version: Google’s own steps for requesting a read receipt are written for Gmail on a computer, and they do not describe the Gmail phone app. Here is what that means on your phone, and the practical way to know when your email gets opened.
Google’s help page Request or return a read receipt (read on 27 October 2026) says two things that matter here. First, read receipts are only available to work or school accounts, and they do not work with personal @gmail.com accounts. Second, the steps for requesting and returning a receipt both begin with “On your computer, open Gmail.” The page does not describe doing it from the Gmail app on iPhone or Android.
That is Google’s documentation, not a test of every app version. If a newer version of the app adds the option, Google’s page is where it will be described first.
Even where a receipt does arrive, Google warns that getting one doesn’t always mean the recipient read your message. For the full picture on desktop plans, see does Gmail have read receipts.
Vidi is a Chrome extension. It adds an invisible tracking pixel to emails you send from Gmail in Chrome on a computer, then shows one grey tick for sent and two green ticks when the recipient opens it. The recipient is never asked to approve anything.
Be clear about the limit: Vidi cannot be installed on a phone, so it tracks the emails you write on your computer. If you do most of your emailing on your phone, the sensible split is to write the emails you care about, such as a proposal, an invoice or a job application, on your computer, where the ticks work. Setup is on the read receipts for Gmail page.
Use the box below to email yourself the install link. Open it at your computer and the extension takes about two minutes to add.
Some mail apps load images automatically, which can look like an open when nobody read the message. Vidi labels those automatic loads instead of showing a green tick, as explained in Apple Mail Privacy Protection and open tracking.
Vidi turns every important email into a clear grey-tick / green-tick answer — across Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Outlook.
Vidi runs in desktop Chrome
Email yourself the link and set it up in two minutes when you are at your computer.
One email now, and one reminder in three days if you have not set it up. Nothing else. Already on a computer? Sign up here.
Free for 3 tracked emails a month, no card · Unlimited from $2.99/month launch pricing, locked in for as long as you stay · 30-day money-back guarantee · Cancel in two clicks · 90 of 100 left at this price