All of us value our privacy, be it online or offline. Just like we don’t appreciate people snooping around in our business and stalking us, it’s the same with online stalking. Our online status is displayed by default on popular social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr. In the beginning, people appreciated the transparency and were excited to see that the person they were messaging could see it in real-time.
However, the initial appreciation dulled as the users realized that this feature was a problem in disguise.
Let’s say you’re walking home after a quick grocery store run and aren’t prepared to see or talk to anyone. However, one of your neighbors has seen you and is waving at you enthusiastically. Your inward sigh right then is quite similar to the one you emit when you accidentally open a chat you’ve been purposefully avoiding, and the other person is online.
Nonetheless, WhatsApp is quite keen to take critical reviews and resolve them. It was later decided that this feature has more pros than cons, and after much debate, it wasn’t removed.
Although there is a feature to hide your Last Seen on WhatsApp, nothing similar has been launched for your online status. However, when it does happen, we’ll be the first to tell you all about it.
Don’t worry; we will not hang you out to dry. There is still an alternative for you to hide your WhatsApp online status from someone on WhatsApp. Read on till the end of this blog to learn all about it. We’ll also discuss how you can hide your Last Seen on WhatsApp.
If Someone is Not in My Contact List, Can They See Me if i am Online in WhatsApp?
When you’re chatting with someone, you can see that the other person is online by looking at your online status. When trying to avoid someone, we usually log off from the platform, so they don’t find out that we’ve seen their message.
Some of you might be thinking about how convenient it would be just to choose who could see your online status. That way, you won’t have to worry about offending someone, even as a mistake, right?
Unfortunately, that’s not what the WhatsApp team thinks. As seen from a reversed point of view, wouldn’t it be a bit problematic when you urgently need to talk to someone but can’t see their online status? Moreover, it would be even more confusing when someone whose status shows that they are offline is messaging you.
So, we’re sorry to say that there is technically no way for you to hide your online status from anyone with your number.
How to Hide Online Status on Whatsapp
If you desperately need to hide your WhatsApp Last Seen from someone, there is something you could do. When you block someone, all your WhatsApp profile details are hidden from them. This includes your profile picture, WhatsApp About, Last Seen status updates, and your online status.
However, keep in mind that blocking someone is an extreme measure. The other person will also be unable to message, voice call or video call you if you block them. And almost always, the blocked person finds out they’ve been blocked. So, unless you do not wish to talk to them and are not scared of confrontation, we’d advise against this method.
However, if you do want to block someone, here’s how it’s done.
Step 1: Launch WhatsApp on your smartphone.
Step 2: The first screen you’ll see will be your WhatsApp Chats list. Scroll down to find the chat of the person you wish to block and tap on it.
Alternatively, you can also search for their chat from the Search bar at the top right corner of the screen beside the icon of three dots arranged vertically.
Step 3: In the chat, tap on the icon of three dots arranged vertically, located at the top right corner of the screen.
Step 4: A drop-down menu will appear. From that list, tap on the last option that says More.
Step 5: On the next, comparatively shorter list, tap on the second option that says Block. If they’ve sent anything inappropriate or humiliated you in the chats, you can report them to WhatsApp by tapping on the first option on the list called Report.
There you go. Now you don’t have to worry about them seeing your online status.
How to Hide Last Seen on WhatsApp
If the method we talked about in the previous section didn’t work conveniently, we’re sorry for you. If you generally like to have your other online private data remain that way, we’ve got something from you.
Here’s how you can hide your Last Seen on WhatsApp:
Step 1: Launch WhatsApp on your smartphone.
Step 2: You’ll start on your WhatsApp Chats list. At the top right corner of the screen, locate and tap on the icon of three dots arranged vertically.
Step 3: On the drop-down menu that appears, tap on the last option that says Settings.
Step 4: Tap on the first option on the Settings page called Account.
Step 5: On the Account section, tap on the first option that says Privacy.
Step 6: The first setting you’ll see on the Privacy page is what you’re looking for: Last seen. Tap on it.
Step 7: By default, it’s been set to Everyone. Choose the setting that’s convenient for you (My contacts, My contacts except…, and Nobody), and your work here is done.
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