How to hide active status in whatsapp

WhatsApp online status: How to hide your 'Online' status on WhatsApp: Step-by-step guide for iOS, Android users

WhatsApp has finally rolled out the update that lets you hide your active status on the instant messaging platform. Several times we wish to check our messages on WhatsApp without alerting the contacts of our online activity or appear as active on the app and the Meta-owned platform's this update solves that problem.

Though the social network had already rolled out an update to hide your 'Last Seen' - the timestamp revealing the last time you were active on the app - from select contacts, it didn't let WhatsApp users hide their 'online' status on the platform.

The 'Online' status on WhatsApp appears right below the person's contact name on chat the moment he or she opens the instant messaging app. As long as you are on WhatsApp, even if just scrolling, you appear as 'Online' to your contacts.

But thanks to WhatsApp's latest update, that's about to change and people can no longer stalk your online presence on the platform as users now have the option to hide their online status from all or select contacts.

On WhatsApp, the tech company by default allows any user to see your last seen and online status until changed manually.

How to Hide Your Online Status on WhatsApp (Android, iOS, and Web)

The Meta-owned messaging giant has been trying to make it easier to use WhatsApp on multiple devices (without internet on the primary device) and transfer WhatsApp chats from Android to iPhone. But, over the past year or so, users have started giving importance to privacy online. It has forced the company to rethink its privacy policy, and it’s now testing new features to fulfill these needs. Now, a common gripe most users have with WhatsApp is that you appear online even when you open the app for a split second. And it makes others think you are active and available to chat when that might not be the case. If you are facing this issue and want to appear offline on WhatsApp, it’s easier to do than you think. In this guide, we have explained how to hide your last seen and online status while chatting on WhatsApp. It will help safeguard your privacy and keep snoopy individuals at bay, so let’s get started.

We have explained the step-by-step process (with pictures) to turn off your last seen and online status on WhatsApp in this guide. We have even added an unofficial tool you can use to hide the online status on WhatsApp Web. Use the table below to check out the method suitable for your needs.

Table of Contents

How to Hide Last Seen on WhatsApp (Android)

Before you can hide your online status in the messaging app, you first need to learn how to turn off your last seen status on WhatsApp. And here’s what that process looks like:

1. Open WhatsApp and tap on the ellipses (three dot) icon at the top right corner. Then, select the “Settings” option.

2. Next, navigate to “Account -> Privacy” to access the last seen status setting.

3. Now, tap on the “Last seen and online” privacy setting. After that, select “Nobody” under the “Who can see my last seen” option to hide when you were last online on the messaging app from everyone.

Note: You can also select the “My contacts except..” option if you wish the last seen time to be displayed to select people in your contacts list.

How to Hide Online Status on WhatsApp (Android)

Now that you know how to hide the last seen time on your WhatsApp account, you can also choose who can view whether you are online on the messaging app or not. Here’s how you can appear offline on WhatsApp for everyone but still continue to text whoever you like:

Note: The ability to hide your online status is only available to WhatsApp beta testers on Android and iOS at the moment. For this guide, we used WhatsApp version 2.22.21.12 on the OnePlus 9RT running Android 12.

On the same settings page as the “Last Seen” status, you will now see a new “Who can see when I’m online” option. You just need to select “Same as last seen” here.

And now, if you have selected “Nobody” as the “Last Seen” status, then no one will be able to see the “Online” text under your name in the chat window when using WhatsApp. This way, no one will be able to snoop on your online messaging activity and question why you are not replying to them even though you are active.

How to Hide Last Seen on WhatsApp (iPhone)

The steps to disable the last seen status in Meta’s messaging app on iPhone are pretty much the same as Android, so let’s look at how to go about it:

Open WhatsApp on your iPhone and tap on “Settings” in the bottom navigation bar. Then, move to the “Account” settings.

2. Next, move to “Privacy -> Last Seen & Online” under the “Account” settings.

Note: The “Last Seen & Online” setting and the option to hide them is only available in WhatsApp beta versions right now. You will only see the option to disable “Last Seen” on your device.

3. Finally, select “Nobody” under the “Who Can See My Last Seen” option to hide your activity on WhatsApp. Now, other users will not be able to see when you were last online and using the messaging app.

How to Hide Online Status on WhatsApp (iPhone)

Similar to the Android settings, you will have to select the “Same as last seen” option under the “Who can see when I’m online” section in the privacy settings. Note: Since this feature is only available to beta testers at the moment, we tried it out on WhatsApp beta version 2.22.20.75 on iPhone 11 running iOS 16.

Also, as you can see in the screenshot, WhatsApp mentions that disabling the last seen and online options for yourself would mean that you won’t be able to see the status of other users.

How to Hide Last Seen and Online on WhatsApp PC

Now, if you are someone who relies on WhatsApp Web to communicate with friends and family, there’s nothing to worry about, as you can turn off your last seen and online status there as well. On your Mac, Linux, or Windows PC, here’s how you can hide the last seen status:

Hide Last Seen Status on WhatsApp Web

1. WhatsApp Web includes an official way to disable the last seen status, and it is similar to the Android and iPhone versions. So, open the web app, click the three dot (ellipses) icon and select “Settings” from the dropdown.

2. Then, click on “Privacy” under the Settings menu.

3. After that, head to the “Last seen” privacy setting.

4. Next, as we did in the Android and iOS sections, select “Nobody” under the “Last Seen” setting to stop sharing the exact time when you last opened WhatsApp to check your messages.

Hide Online Status on WhatsApp Web

5. Now, the ability to hide your online status is yet to officially reach the web version of WhatsApp, but you can use a third-party tool for the time being. So let’s take a look at how it works.

6. First, download the WA Web Plus for WhatsApp extension from the Chrome Web Store (visit). It’s a popular Chrome extension with a stellar 4.6 rating and 21,000 reviews. Click the “Add to Chrome” button to install the extension.

7. Once the extension is installed, click the “Extension” icon to the right of the address bar and select “WA Web Plus for WhatsApp” from the dropdown menu.

8. The extension settings will now open up. Under the “Enhancements” tab, enable the “Hide online status (Invisible Mode)” option to appear offline while chatting. You can also enable the “Hide typing status” to further make your activity private on WhatsApp.

Note: It takes a couple of seconds for the extension to become active after you open WhatsApp Web on your desktop, so you will appear online for a second or two. We suggest you wait a little before you go ahead and start typing messages to your contacts.

And that’s it. People will no longer see the “Online” tag under your contact name when you are using the messaging app. They would not even see the typing indicator if you enable the said feature and use the web app for all communication purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does online on WhatsApp mean they are talking to someone?

The online status under a contact’s name indicates that they are currently using WhatsApp, but it doesn’t explicitly mean they are talking to someone. They could have just left the messaging app open on their phone. Or could be checking Status updates, setting up fingerprint lock on WhatsApp, and more.

Can I hide when I’m online on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp not only allows you to disable your last seen status but hide your online status as well. That means you can use the messaging app without worrying about others seeing you are active on WhatsApp.

Learn How to Appear Offline on WhatsApp

So yeah, these are all the methods you can use to prevent someone from seeing that you are online on WhatsApp in 2022. You can uphold your privacy while chatting on the messaging app and appear offline to all users. However, remember that you will also not be able to view their online status once you enable this privacy setting. Though, you can always retrace your steps to turn off the feature. Also, we suggest using the WhatsApp Web extension to hide your online status right now instead of waiting for the feature to graduate out of beta. So, did this guide prove helpful for you? Let us know in the comments below.

How to show offline in whatsapp when it is online?

Content:

Whether you are using your iPhone or Android, you can use several methods to hide your WhatsApp profile's online status. This is usually detected when you reply to WhatsApp messages, they appear in the online chat.

The default settings can help you hide your last visited status from being shown to people who are not in your contact list. nine0003

To hide online status from the person you want to ignore, you can ignore that person by simply blocking them on WhatsApp.

But while you're chatting with someone, first install WhatsApp++ (apk for Android, IPA for iOS) on your mobile phone and create the last visit the day before. Now when you chat with a person, they will display the old date instead of "Online".

To hide online status for all users,

You need to install one of the WhatsApp Offline Status applications on your mobile device.
Then go to settings and disable online status directly from the app.

That's all.

But for a simpler method without application

Privacy Settings: Set Last Visit to Nobody

An easy way to hide your online status while chatting: follow these steps:

Open WhatsApp and click on the three-dot icon in the top right corner.
Now go to settings, there you have to go and click on Account.
Then click on privacy settings and you will find the option " Last visit ".
Now set to Nobody and your status will never show as Online after saving changes.

But this also limits you to the last time you saw the other person. nine0003

Although there is a trick to show the fake one last time or find out if someone has contacted you.

This person will know that you kept your last vision from him. However, this will make your LIVE status invisible while chatting.

You can create a fake last seen status or make another choice to be invisible while you are REALLY online on WhatsApp.

Also, you have other options to not show online in whatsapp using a few android apps that will make some changes to whatsapp to present you offline and it works great.
Ways to hide WhatsApp online status in chat

You may need to catch someone reading and replying to their messages without showing a blue check mark on their sent messages.

However, there are a few apps and tricks that can be useful for appearing offline in WhatsApp while chatting. nine0003

There are several ways to show that you are offline from WhatsApp, whether or not you are online.

Change settings to disable online status (WhatsApp WEB)

If you can reach me and are looking for ways to change your online status without missing any important text, then you've come to the right place.

1. Turn on flight mode and answer:

Enabling airplane mode is simply the most ideal way to get off the grid. When you hide your online status, you just need to make sure you open chats without being on WhatsApp. nine0003

For example, even if you open WhatsApp but don't have internet, it is considered Offline because the WhatsApp server won't receive you.

Step 1. First of all, go to WhatsApp settings.

Step 2: Open the Wireless and Network option.

Step 3. Turn on airplane mode.

You can miss any important message by leaving your smartphone in airplane mode as it turns off your phone's entire network. No calls, no sms. nine0003

2. Blocking a person on WhatsApp:

If you don't want a specific contact on your phone to contact you, you can always block that specific contact. This will definitely prevent them from sending you any messages, and they won't be able to see you online when the chat is open.

3. Shutdown "Last seen: no one changes."

Well, this is one of the most common ways to hide from your WhatsApp contact while still getting all the text and notifications. nine0003

It does not stop notifications, but may reduce them to some extent.

Step 1. Go to settings.
Step 2: Click on Account.
Step 3: Click on Privacy.

Step 3: Click Last Visit.
Step 4: Set to Nobody.

Note. With this setting, other users won't see when you were last active, but they can see the Online status in a chat while it's online. nine0003

4. Swipe OFF. Read receipts:

This step is actually about flagging sent messages, and if someone is following you by looking at your viewed messages, these steps are helpful.

Single checkmark for sent message, double checkmark for delivered message, checkmarks turn blue when read. But you can still hide by turning off the read recipient in your WhatsApp's privacy settings.

Step 1: First go to settings.
Step 2: Then click Account.
Step 3: Now click on privacy.
Step 4: Finally, turn off the Read Receipts option.

5. Hiding status and DP:

People often check a contact's WhatsApp status and DP, which gives us an idea of their activity.

Therefore, if you delete the displayed image, you can easily create the illusion that you are away and do not want to receive any text or notification. nine0003

Step 1. Go to settings.
Step 2: Click on Account.
Step 3: Click on Privacy.
Step 4: Select the "Profile picture" option and click "No one" and set the status to "My contacts only".

2. Appear in WhatsApp on iPhone offline while chatting.

Well, there is no special way to disconnect on iPhone other than the aforementioned common ways.

However, it's easy to be offline with the quick setting in WhatsApp settings, here's how:

Go to: WhatsApp Settings > Chat Settings / Privacy > Advanced.

Turn off the Last Seen Timestamp option and select Nobody.

This is more like turning off Last Seen mode, but you can still chat and exchange words. However, it will also help you escape and work on the application at the same time.

Note. You can also override the same by enabling the "Timestamps Last Seen" option. nine0003

3. How to hide the "Enter" mark in WhatsApp

You can hide your last active status, but what would you do if people could still see your input? You may not have known about this setting, but you can also hide WhatsApp typing on iPhone.

Basically there are two ways, the first of which allows you to achieve this:

Turn off your Internet connection.
Send you messages.
Instead of ticks, you will find a clock icon. nine0018
Now enable your Internet connection.

Once you enable it, your message will be sent and no one will see you "typing".

4. Hide Online Status on iPhone with WhatsApp++

If you have an iPhone, you can install WhatsApp++ on your device. Just you need to jailbreak your iPhone to install whatsapp++ which will hide your online status.

To hide online status on iPhone, follow these simple steps:

Jailbreak your iPhone to install WhatsApp++ on your device .
Now download WhatsApp++ IPA app and install it on your iOS device.
Now click on the Typing status to change anything.

Way: Go to Settings>Privacy>Tap on Entry Status , and you can hide input stamp for WhatsApp on your iPhone. nine0003

Totals:

If you are looking for a way to completely hide from someone, the first steps are the most helpful. However, if you want to display your activity the way you want, apps can be helpful in those cases.

Useful WhatsApp Tricks

Let's talk about the most interesting and useful WhatsApp features that you might not know about. Super bonus at the end! nine0003

1) WhatsApp Web
Go to https://web.whatsapp.com/ on your computer. Now open WhatsApp on your phone, go to Settings → Web/Comp. and scan the QR code from the computer screen using the smartphone's camera. For the web version to work, your phone must be turned on, connected to Wi-Fi, and close to your computer.

2) Text formatting
To make it bold, put asterisks (*) before and after the word/phrase. Italics are created with an underscore (_) and strikethrough is done with a tilde (~). Symbols can be combined, there should not be a space between the symbol and the word, otherwise it will not work. nine0003

3) Adding a date to the calendar (iOS only)
When you send a date or time in a message, it appears as a hyperlink. Click on it to add the event to the calendar. You need to write "Thursday 6", and not just "Thursday". Allow the application to access the calendar, otherwise nothing will work.

4) Privacy
Don't want everyone to be able to see your profile data and when you were online? Go to Settings → Account → Privacy and configure access for each block of data. For example, you can hide the visit time from everyone, and make the status and profile photo available only for your contact list. You can also disable read receipts here. So the interlocutor will not know that you have read the message, but you will not be able to see if yours have been read. Have you decided? Switch the slider to inactive mode. nine0003

5) Send documents
Documents can now be sent directly from Google Drive or iCloud. Click on the plus sign to the left of the text entry line, select "Document" and iCloud / Google Drive. For the feature to work, the app needs to be allowed to access iCloud/Google Drive in the settings.

6) Turn off notifications
Surely you have a friend who likes to send funny pictures at night or a group chat in which they endlessly discuss something. Turn off notifications and live peacefully. Click on the group name/username → Do Not Disturb and select the amount of time. nine0003

7) Backup
If you care about correspondence, it is better to make a backup copy so that you can restore all chats on the new phone. Go to Settings → Chats → Copy → Create a copy. Here you can turn on automatic copying.

8) Disable autosave images
To prevent photos from clogging your smartphone's memory, disable autosave: Settings → Chats → switch the slider to inactive mode.

9) Hide message previews
To prevent others from accidentally reading your messages, turn off message previews. Go to Settings → Notifications → Show thumbnails and switch the slider to inactive mode.

10) Message reading time
To find out when the interlocutor has read the message, hold the message until the menu appears and select "Data".

11) Add a message to your favorites
To add a message to your favorites, press and hold until the menu appears and select the star ☆. To view all your favorite messages, go to Settings → Favorite messages. nine0003

12) Limit background data
Saves battery power. To make the messenger download photos, audio, video and documents only via Wi-Fi, go to Settings → Data and storage and configure each block separately. You can also enable saving data when calling - just turn the slider to active mode.

13) Mailing lists
To send the same message to several contacts at the same time, there are mailing lists. Open Chats → Mailing Lists → New List. Select the desired contacts, click "Create" and write a message as usual. For convenience, the list can be given a name (for example, "Colleagues"). Ready! You can call the entire accounting department for lunch at the same time. nine0003

14) Chat Shortcut (Android only)
To place a shortcut to your most used chats on your home screen, tap and hold on the desired chat until the context menu appears. Select "Add shortcut to chat".

15) Bonus: secretly read the messages
So that the two checkmarks do not treacherously turn blue, thereby saying that you have read the message, we act like this.