How to Hide Online Status on WhatsApp? Step by Step

WhatsApp is an end-to-end encrypted messaging platform. However, your online status is visible to all your contacts by default, which may raise security and privacy concerns.

Fortunately, WhatsApp offers privacy settings to control your digital footprints and hide your online status on both Android and iPhone devices. Therefore, this article provides a comprehensive guide on how to hide online status on WhatsApp for all or selective contacts on both Android and iPhone.

Part 1. How to Hide Online Status on WhatsApp? (For All Contacts)

WhatsApp online status shows the last time a user was active on the app. It also notifies if the user is currently available and using WhatsApp.

Your online status is visible to everyone when you start using the app unless you change the privacy settings. The WhatsApp privacy settings allow you to hide the online status for all your contacts. So, let’s now cover the steps on how to hide online status on WhatsApp for iPhone and Android.

Way 1. How to Hide Online Status on WhatsApp on iPhone?

If you are an iPhone user and want to learn how to hide online status on WhatsApp iPhone, follow the steps explained below:

Open WhatsApp on your iPhone.
Navigate to the Settings (gear icon) at the bottom right.

Go to the Account section.

Click the Privacy tab from the list.

In the new section, tap Last Seen & Online to change your online status visibility.

First, select the privacy level for your last seen. You must select Nobody under “Who Can See My Last Seen“.

choose nobody for who can see my last seen whatsapp iphone

Finally, select Same as Last Seen under “Who Can See Me When I’m Online”.

After applying these changes, your online status and last seen will not be visible to anyone on WhatsApp.

Way 2. How to Hide Online Status on WhatsApp on Android?

If you want to hide online status on WhatsApp Android, you can easily tweak the privacy settings. In fact, the process of hiding your WhatsApp online status on Android is similar to iPhone.

Follow the below steps to quickly hide online status on WhatsApp on Android:

Launch WhatsApp on your Android phone.

Tap the three vertical dots at the top right of your screen.

Select Settings from the menu and go to the Account tab.

Select Privacy from the list.

In the Privacy section, tap Last seen and online.

last seen and online setting whatsapp android

Select Nobody under “Who can see my last seen”.

select nobody for who can see my last seen android whatsapp

Pick Same as Last Seen under “Who can see when I’m online”.

same as last seen for who can see when i am online whatsapp android

This way, you have successfully hidden your online status on WhatsApp from all your contacts.

Also Read: How to See When Someone Last Active on WhatsApp? (The Detailed Guide)

Part 2. How to Hide WhatsApp Online Status from One Person?

WhatsApp allows you to hide your online status from all or some of your contacts. So, if you want to hide WhatsApp online status from one person, use the following steps:

For iPhone

Open WhatsApp on your iPhone.
Click the Settings (gear icon) button.

Tap Privacy from the list.

Click Last Seen & Online.

From the four options that appear under “Who can see my Last seen”, select “My contacts except..“.

Now, pick the contact you want to hide your online status from your list of contacts and press Done.

Next, tap Same as last seen under “Who can see when I’m online”.

For Android

Launch WhatsApp on your Android phone.
Click the three vertical dots in the top right corner.

Click Settings from the list.

Tap Privacy from the menu.

Click Last Seen and online.

From the four options that appear under “Who can see my last seen”, select “My contacts except..“.

Pick the contact you want to hide your online status from your contacts list and click the checkmark at the bottom.

Select Same as last seen under “Who can see when I’m online”.

Part 3. FAQS About Hiding WhatsApp Online Status

Q1. How to know if someone is hiding their online status on WhatsApp?

To know if someone is hiding their online status on WhatsApp, follow the below steps:

Make sure you are not hiding your online status by navigating to Settings > Privacy and making Last Seen > Everyone.
Open the chat of the person whose WhatsApp online status you want to check.
If you are unable to see the online status behind its name, then it means the person has hidden the online status on WhatsApp.

Q2. If I hide my online status on WhatsApp can I see others’ Status?

If you hide your online status on WhatsApp, you cannot see when others come online. WhatsApp hides the online status of all those contacts with whom you have hidden your online status. To see others’ online statuses, you should turn off your privacy settings first and then check the online status of your contacts.

Q3. Why can’t I see when someone is online on WhatsApp?

You may not see when someone is online on WhatsApp due to several reasons, as follows:

The person may have disabled his/her online status.
You have turned off your online status.
Poor internet connection or network error.
You or the other person haven’t saved each other as contacts.
The person may have blocked you.

In The End

WhatsApp provides robust privacy protection to ensure a safe user experience on the platform. When you join WhatsApp, your last seen and online status are visible to all contacts by default. However, WhatsApp offers plenty of privacy settings to customize the online status privacy the way you want.

This guide has discussed in detail how to hide online status on WhatsApp for all or selected contacts on both iPhone and Android. So, follow the steps discussed in this guide to customize the privacy settings the way you want. Furthermore, it is recommended to download Dr.Fone WhatsApp Transfer to also easily backup, restore, and transfer WhatsApp data.