WhatsApp Last Seen and Online: Who Can See It
To hide your online status on WhatsApp, go to Settings > Privacy > Last seen and online and choose My contacts, My contacts except..., or Nobody. On Android, open the three-dot More options menu first. On iPhone, tap Settings or your profile picture, then Privacy.
There's a catch: if you don't share your last seen or online, you can't see other people's either.
What last seen and online mean
WhatsApp's help center defines both. Last seen and online tells you if a user is online and the last time they used WhatsApp. If a user is online, they have WhatsApp open on their device and are connected to the internet.
Online doesn't mean they read your message. WhatsApp's page says so in those words. For that you'd look at ticks, covered in what each WhatsApp tick means.
One more thing shows while you're in a chat. WhatsApp says people online in a chat with you can see when you're typing, and its page doesn't say the Last seen and online setting changes that. More in the WhatsApp typing indicator.
How to hide last seen and online
The help page shows one Last seen and online entry with four choices.
- On Android, tap More options (three dots) > Settings > Privacy. On iPhone, tap Settings or your profile picture, then Privacy.
- Tap Last seen and online.
- Choose Everyone, My contacts, My contacts except..., or Nobody.
Out of the box, WhatsApp's privacy page says any user can see when you're online, while only your contacts can see when you were last seen. So if you've never touched this screen, your online status is the more widely shared of the two. Hiding online status arrived with WhatsApp's August 2022 privacy update.
What each option does
WhatsApp's privacy page defines the four options. This table applies them to last seen and online.
| Option | Who sees your last seen and online |
|---|---|
| Everyone | All users, but only those you've called and messaged before, or saved as a contact |
| My contacts | Only contacts from your address book |
| My contacts except... | Your address-book contacts, minus the ones you exclude |
| Nobody | No one |
Note the first row. Even on Everyone, a stranger who has never messaged you and isn't saved doesn't see your last seen and online.
Hide it from only some people
Choose My contacts except... and pick the people to exclude. Everyone else in your address book can still see you.
To hide it from everyone except a few, there's no "only share with" option on the help page. The nearest route is My contacts plus exclusions, or Nobody if you want the strictest setting.
Blocking also hides things. When you block someone, your last seen, online, status updates and profile photo changes are hidden from them.
The trade-off: hide yours, lose theirs
Can you hide your online status but still see others? WhatsApp says no. If you don't share your last seen or online, you can't see other users' last seen or online.
Groups have one more wrinkle. WhatsApp says that if you choose Everyone for online, you're counted in the group online count for groups you're in.
Why you can't see someone else's last seen
If someone's last seen is missing, WhatsApp lists the possible reasons:
- You set your own privacy settings to not share your last seen.
- You haven't chatted with them or saved them as a contact.
- You might be blocked.
- They set their privacy settings to hide this information.
- They haven't messaged you before or saved you as a contact.
- There's a temporary connection issue. Close and reopen WhatsApp.
Being blocked is one reason of six, so a hidden last seen is not proof of a block. We go through it in WhatsApp last seen not showing.
Where Tenashi fits
For a business, online status answers the wrong question. A customer wants to know whether someone is handling their message, and "online" only says WhatsApp is open on a device.
Tenashi connects your own business number so the team answers from a shared inbox, with each chat assigned to an agent and internal notes the customer never sees. It doesn't show your customers' last seen or online status, and it doesn't touch your privacy settings, which stay on the phone. One thing customers do see: before each message Tenashi sends, the chat shows them "typing..." briefly. This applies to chats on your own connected number, from the day you connect it. For the wider picture, see our guide to WhatsApp for business. Plans start at $18/mo. Get started.
FAQ
How do I hide my online status on WhatsApp?
Go to Settings > Privacy > Last seen and online, and choose Nobody to hide it from everyone. On Android, open More options (three dots) first. You can also pick My contacts or My contacts except to limit who sees it.
Can I hide last seen but still see others' last seen?
No. WhatsApp says that if you don't share your last seen or online, you can't see other users' last seen or online. It's a two-way trade, so hiding yours means giving up theirs. Switching back to a sharing option restores your view of theirs.
Can I hide my WhatsApp online status from some contacts only?
Yes. Choose My contacts except in the Last seen and online setting, then select the contacts you want to exclude. Everyone else in your address book can still see your last seen and online, as before.
What does online mean on WhatsApp?
Online means the person has WhatsApp open on their device and is connected to the internet. It doesn't mean they've read your message. WhatsApp says this directly on its help page about last seen and online.
Who can see my last seen if I choose Everyone?
Only people you've called and messaged before, or saved as a contact. WhatsApp says that when you select Everyone for last seen or online, a person you've never contacted and haven't saved still can't see it.
One setting controls who sees you, and it works both ways. For a team that needs to answer from more than one phone, get started with Tenashi.