How to Hide Online Status on WhatsApp

WhatsApp allows users to communicate each other seamlessly, but sometimes you might want to hide your online status for privacy reasons, or just don't want someone know your are online in certain time. Whether you're avoiding distractions or simply want to chat privately, WhatsApp offers settings to control who can see your "Last Seen" and "Online" status.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to hide your online status on WhatsApp on both Android and iPhone devices.

Part 1. Why Hide Your Online Status on WhatsApp?

There are several reasons why users might want to hide their online status:
Privacy: Prevent people from knowing when you're online.
Avoid Unwanted Messages: Stop contacts from expecting an immediate response.
Work-Life Balance: Stay focused without interruptions.

Part 2. How to Hide Online Status on WhatsApp (Android & iPhone)

Step 1: Open WhatsApp Settings
1) Launch WhatsApp on your phone.
2) Tap the three dots (Android) or Settings (iPhone).

Step 2: Go to Privacy Settings
1) Select Privacy from the menu.
2) Tap Last Seen & Online.

Step 3: Change Online Status Settings
Under Who Can See My Last Seen, select:
Everyone – Everyone can see when you’re online.
My Contacts – Only people in your contacts can see it.
My Contacts Except… – Hide your status from specific people.
Nobody – No one can see when you were last online.
Under Who Can See When I’m Online, select:
Everyone – Anyone can see your online status.
Same as Last Seen – Matches your Last Seen settings.

Step 4: Save Changes
Once you've selected your preferred setting, WhatsApp will automatically apply the changes.

Part 3. Alternative Ways to Hide Your Online Presence

If you want to appear offline without changing your privacy settings, try these tricks:

Way 1. Turn Off Read Receipts

1) Go to Settings > Privacy > Read Receipts and toggle it off.

This prevents others from knowing when you've read their messages, which allows you to read messages without them knowing.

Way 2. Use Airplane Mode

1) Enable Airplane Mode before opening WhatsApp.
2) Read and reply to messages, then close WhatsApp before turning off Airplane Mode.

This prevents WhatsApp from updating your online status. However, you cannot get the newest messages from your contacts on WhatsApp when Airplane mode is on.

3. Use WhatsApp Web with Extensions

Some browser extensions allow you to hide your online status while using WhatsApp Web. If you want to hide your online status on WhatsApp, look for privacy-focused extensions like "WA Web Plus." WA Web Plus is a Google browser extension with massive features including hiding online status and disable read receipts.

Part 4. How to Transfer WhatsApp Messages Between iOS Devices

If you bought a new iPhone but don't know how to migrate the WhatsApp messages to the new device, using a third-party tool can be the easiest way. Here I will recommend TunesKit WhatsApp Transfer to you. TunesKit WhatsApp Transfer is a multifunctional WhatsApp data managing tool with 4 features, including transfer WhatsApp data, backup WhatsApp data, export WhatsApp data, and restore WhatsApp backup to iPhone. With the intuitive user interface, users will not encounter transferring hassles while using TunesKit WhatsApp Transfer.

You can follow the below steps and learn how to transfer WhatsApp data between iOS devices.

Step 1Connect iPhone to Computer

The first step you should do is to download and install TunesKit WhatsApp Transfer on your computer. Launch the program and connect your iPhones to the computer when the program is installed successfully. To transfer WhatsApp data between iOS devices, just select the Transfer feature on the main interface of TunesKit WhatsApp Transfer.

Step 2Transfer WhatsApp Data Between iOS Devices

After setting up the source device and destination device, click on the Transfer button. TunesKit WhatsApp Transfer will migrate the original WhatsApp chat from your source device to the destination device, and the progress will not take a long time. It is worth noting that all the WhatsApp data on your destination device will be overwritten after transferring.

Part 5. FAQs About Hiding Online Status on WhatsApp

1. Can I hide my online status from specific people?

Yes, select "My Contacts Except..." and choose the people you want to exclude.

2. Can I hide my online status on WhatsApp Web?

No, WhatsApp Web doesn’t have built-in settings for this, but you can install a browser extensions while using WhatsApp Web.

Can people still see me typing if I hide my online status?

Yes, even if your online status is hidden, others can see when you're typing unless you use Airplane Mode. To hide your typing status, you can install a Google browser extension like WA Web Plus and use WhatsApp Web.

Part 6. Conclusion

Hiding your online status on WhatsApp gives you more privacy and control over your messaging experience. Whether you use WhatsApp's built-in settings or alternative methods like Airplane Mode, you can manage when and how you appear online. Now you can chat privately and stress-free without worrying about unwanted attention! If you bought a new phone and want to transfer WhatsApp data, download and try using TunesKit WhatsApp Transfer.