How to hide your WhatsApp Online status
Meta-owned WhatsApp added a new feature to the privacy settings of the messaging application. Now, WhatsApp users may block others from seeing their online status, something that was not possible previously.
Up until now, WhatsApp users could block others from seeing the "last seen" information. While that blocked anyone from knowing when a user was last online on the site, it did not prevent others from accessing the online status.
Users who set the last seen preference to nobody will notice that their online status preference is set to everybody, meaning that anyone may check that value.
The online status reveals if a user is online at the time. The feature has been introduced in the beta version of the client in September 2022, but is now also available in the latest stable version of WhatsApp.
Here is how you configure the last seen / online status privacy on WhatsApp:
- Make sure you run the latest version of WhatsApp. On Android, you may need to check for app updates on Google Play to find out if an update is available.
- Open the WhatsApp client and select Menu > Settings.
- Go to Privacy > Lat seen and online.
There you have the following options:
- Set the last seen status to "everyone", "my contacts", "my contacts except", or "nobody".
- Set the online status to "everyone" or "same as last seen".
You may want to switch the online status to same as last seen, as this prevents others from seeing when you are online. There are services available on the Internet that allow anyone to check the online status of any phone number. If you want to prevent this from happening, you need to set the online status preference to same as last seen, and select any value for that preference, except everyone.
Note: if you limit visibility for either of the preferences, you will also limit your visibility in this regard. If you switch the two settings to your contacts, you will continue to see the last seen and online status of your contacts, but you won't be able to do so for anyone not in the contacts.
WhatsApp should consider changing the defaults of the setting from everybody to another option to improve privacy for all users. For now, it is necessary to make the changes manually.
Now You: do you use WhatsApp? (via Caschy)
Uhh, this has already been possible – I am not sure how but remember my brother telling me about it. I’m not a whatsapp user so not sure of the specifics, but something about sending the image as a file and somehow bypassing the default compression settings that are applied to inbound photos.
He has also used this to share movies to whatsapp groups, and files 1Gb+.
Like I said, I never used whatsapp, but I know 100% this isn’t a “brand new feature”, my brother literally showed me him doing it, like… 5 months ago?
Martin, what happened to those: 12 Comments (https://www.ghacks.net/chatgpt-gets-schooled-by-princeton-university/#comments). Is there a specific justifiable reason why they were deleted?
Hmm, it looks like the gHacks website database is faulty, and not populating threads with their relevant cosponsoring posts.
The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk that it’s about to be deleted from my ‘daily reads’.
It’s really like “Press Release as re-written by some d*ck for clicks…poorly.” And the subjects are laughable. Can’t wait for “How to search for files on Windows”.
> The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk…
Sadly, I have to agree.
Only Martin and Ashwin are worth subscribing to.
Especially Emre Çitak and Shaun are the worst ones.
If ghacks.net intended “Clickbait”, it would mark the end of Ghacks Technology News.
Ghacks doesn’t need crappy clickbaits. Clearly separate articles from newer authors (perhaps AIs and external sales person or external advertising man) as just “Advertisements”!
We, the subscribers of Ghacks, urge Martin to make a decision.
because nevermore wants to “monetize” on every aspect of human life…
“Threads” is like the Walmart of Social Media.
How hard can it be to clone a twitter version of that as well? They’re slow.
Yes, why not mention how large the HD files can be?
Why, not mention what version of WhatsApp is needed?
These omissions make the article feel so bare. If not complete.
Sorry posted on the wrong page.
such a long article for such a simple matter. Worthless article ! waste of time
I already do this by attaching them via the ‘Document’ option.
I don’t know what’s going on here at Ghacks but it’s obvious that something is broken, comments are being mixed whatever the article, I am unable to find some of my later posts neither. :S
Quoting the article,
“As users gain popularity, the value of their tokens may increase, allowing investors to reap rewards.”
Besides, beyond the thrill and privacy risks or not, the point is to know how you gain popularity, be it on social sites as everywhere in life. Is it by being authentic, by remaining faithful to ourselves or is it to have this particular skill which is to understand what a majority likes, just like politicians, those who’d deny to the maximum extent compatible with their ideological partnership, in order to grab as many of the voters they can?
I see the very concept of this Friend.tech as unhealthy, propagating what is already an increasing flaw : the quest for fame. I won’t be the only one to count himself out, definitely.
@John G. is right : my comment was posted on [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/23/what-is-friend-tech/] and it appears there but as well here at [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/08/how-to-follow-everyone-on-threads/]
This has been lasting for several days. Fix it or at least provide some explanations if you don’t mind.
> Google Chrome is following in Safari’s footsteps by introducing a new feature that allows users to move the Chrome address bar to the bottom of the screen, enhancing user accessibility and interaction.
Firefox did this long before Safari.
Basically they’ll do anything except fair royalties.