How to hide online status on WhatsApp to protect privacy

• You can hide your WhatsApp online status if you don’t want others to see when you’re online.
• WhatsApp normally allows everyone to view your online status, but it’s easy to change in the app’s settings.
• If you hide your online status on WhatsApp, you also won’t be able to see other people’s online status.
• This story is a part of Insider’s Guide to WhatsApp.

If you use WhatsApp regularly, chances are you’ve spotted the login status next to the name of some of your contacts. Though WhatsApp makes your online status visible to everyone by default, you can easily change it.

WhatsApp online status

WhatsApp online status allows users to see the last time their contacts were active on the platform and whether they are currently using the app.

When someone is “online,” it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve seen your message – it simply means they’re currently using the app. “Last seen” refers to the last time the person used WhatsApp and also doesn’t mean that they have seen your most recent message. The only way to tell if someone has seen your message is the blue checkmarks beside the message.

If you don’t want your WhatsApp contacts to know your “last seen” or online status, you can easily hide your status from everyone, or make it available to only your contacts, through the app’s settings.

Here’s how to hide your online status on WhatsApp.

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