We’ve all waited at some point or another by the phone to hear back from someone, particularly if it was clear to us that our recipient “saw” our message. And with data showing that 15,220,700 texts, not including app-to-app messaging, are being sent every minute of every day worldwide, there’s no wonder over 4.2 billion people texting are wondering why it’s taking so long to get a response to their text. So why do some people wait to reply to your text, and should you read into it? We decided to investigate the true meaning of text message response times. You’re welcome.
95% of texts will be read within 3 minutes of being sent
The average adult spends 23 hours a week texting so there’s a pretty big chance the person you sent your text to will eventually reply. When it comes to messages between you and a potential love interest, things get a little trickier. As a Mashable infographic shows, the time it takes for a man to respond to a woman’s text is usually immediate if he’s into her. However, since no one wants to seem too eager or desperate, some men will wait up to 24 hours to respond. If he hasn’t responded after that, he is likely not interested. Women will usually reply within the hour of receiving a message, but may also stretch out their response time so that they’re just as likely to reply within 24 hours.
The fact is that 95% of texts will be read within 3 minutes of being sent, with the average response time for a text being a mere 90 seconds. This comes to show that if you’re not getting the response you’re waiting for, either the person you’ve texted hasn’t yet seen your message or is purposefully avoiding you.
Wondering why it’s taking so long for someone to respond to your text? Find out what your #text response times really mean – Click to Tweet
Do you read into the lack of message sending as a sign of disinterest?
You can always console yourself with the fact that response rates from texts are 209% higher than those from phone calls, and verification rates (positive or “yes” responses) are 295% higher through text, compared to phone calls. So there’s a better chance someone will respond to your text than to your phone call.
With that being said, since so many of us play hard to get and are hesitant about seeming too eager, we miss out on opportunities. One in 5 women always wait for the man to text them while one in every ten men wait for the woman to text first, and the consequences are the two people read into the lack of message sending as a sign of disinterest. So, if you’re debating about whether you should reply to a message or even send one, you should go ahead and send your message, especially if you’re interested in the person you’re sending it to. After all, with Viber you can always delete messages you wish you hadn’t sent, so that all is forgotten.