WhatsApp is pretty straightforward, but some parts of how it works can be confusing (especially if you’re new to the platform), including how the last seen status works.
Since WhatsApp became a part of Meta, it has added more features similar to what you might have seen on Facebook Messenger. In this article, we will look at the last seen status that WhatsApp shows to your contacts as well as other users of the platform and how to hide this information from strangers.
What does last seen status mean
WhatsApp’s Last Seen status refers to when the user was last active on the app. This includes the last time a user replied to someone, as well as the last time they opened the app on their device. When you open a chat with another user on WhatsApp, you can find their Last Seen status next to their profile picture at the top of the screen. If someone hasn’t responded to your messages in a while, you can check their Last Seen status to see if they’ve been avoiding your messages on purpose or haven’t been online for that long.
Don’t confuse the Last Seen feature with read receipts (the blue tick next to the message when the recipient has read it) and online status (shows when the user is online and has the WhatsApp app open in the foreground on their device).
Although Last Seen is not a new feature in WhatsApp, it has recently received an update. Previously, you could hide your last seen information from WhatsApp users who are not in your contact list or from everyone. With the update, you can also hide your Last Seen status from specific people. Effectively, it’s like blocking certain contacts from viewing your last seen information.
Note: If you don’t share your Last Seen status, you won’t be able to see the Last Visited status of other users.
How to hide your last seen status on WhatsApp
The option to hide your Last Seen status is available for Android and iOS users. If you don’t want certain people to know about your online presence in the app, you can control who can see your last seen information in the WhatsApp privacy settings.
Hide your last seen on Android
If you are an Android user, follow the steps below to hide your last seen status on WhatsApp using the mobile app.
- Open WhatsApp on your smartphone.
- In the upper right corner of the screen, select the icon with three vertical dots to open the menu.
- From the drop-down menu, select Settings.
- In the Settings menu, select Account.
- Select Privacy.
- Finally, in the privacy settings, select Last seen.
- Select one of the options from the Recently Seen window, then select Done at the bottom of the screen to confirm. These options include:
- Everyone: Allow everyone to see your Last Seen status.
- My Contacts: Allow only people in your contact list to see your Last Seen status.
- My Contacts Except: Manually select contacts who won’t be able to see your Last Seen status.
- No one. Hide your last seen information from everyone, which means you won’t be able to see anyone’s last seen status either.
If you change your mind and want to restore visibility to your Last Seen status, you can return to the Last Seen section of your privacy settings at any time.
Hide your last view status on iPhone
The steps to hide your last seen status on Apple devices are similar. However, the interface of the application is slightly different. If you’re an iOS user and need help navigating WhatsApp’s privacy settings to hide your last seen information, follow the steps below.
- Open WhatsApp on your phone.
- Select Settings in the lower right corner of the screen.
- Then follow the path Account > Privacy > Last Seen.
- This opens a page with options for who can see your Last Seen status: everyone, my contacts, and no one. The option to hide your Last Seen status from specific contacts is not yet available on iPhone, as it is still in testing. WhatsApp will automatically save the option you selected.
Note: You can’t access your WhatsApp privacy settings on the web, which means you can’t change them to hide your Last Seen status from your computer.
Why you should hide your last seen status on WhatsApp
Hiding your Last Seen status or letting everyone see it is a matter of how private you want to keep your WhatsApp account. WhatsApp used to set the visibility of your Last Seen status to Everyone by default, which means that any user of the platform can access this information. It also allowed third-party apps to use this feature and track certain users through WhatsApp.
After the latest security update, WhatsApp users who are not in your contact list and with whom you have not exchanged any messages cannot see when you were last online (or whether you are currently online). Because the app is not a contact, this update prevents third-party apps from accessing your last seen or online information.
You can take advantage of this new update even if you are not at all worried about other people tracking your online presence on WhatsApp. On the contrary, you may want your friends or loved ones to know when you were last seen online. In this case, you can set your Last Seen status to My Contacts, in addition to leaving only the people you trust unselected.
Make your WhatsApp more personal
Last Seen is a common feature in many other social media platforms and messengers (such as Viber or Telegram). However, on most of them you can either keep this feature enabled or disable it completely. The ability to hide your Last Seen status from certain users is a great addition to WhatsApp’s privacy features that can help you make your WhatsApp account more private.
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