I've just turned off 'active on facebook:

[fuddle]

Silly I know but I've turned off my active status on messenger. It means I don't know when others are on line. I really don't know why I needed to know when others were on line and how long ago etc.

not silly at all

I had WhatsApp on my phone till the big hack.

I found it weird, people seeing how quickly people respond etc etc

I get that you might want to know who is around if you're bored etc but it seemed a bit more than that. Also one friend was telling me how great it was because she can communicate with her husband as soon as he gets out from the Underground to pick up a signal etc.

I think, how vital can this communication be? I just don't get it.

I’ve done exactly the same.

I think for some it can cause anxiety. Lots of people posting about how a person is active but haven't answered them etc etc. I wonder why it was developed. I get you might want to see who's around on line but it just doesn't sit comfortably with me.

I'd still be a bit cautious- mine is set to not see this/allow others to but the green dot still appears!

All my green dots have gone..... Bliss....

The green dot isn’t reliable. My son was showing as active, but he was playing in a football match - I was watching him!

I’ve also woken up to a couple of early-hours “can’t sleep?” messages from people who’ve seen me as active when I was in fact, sound asleep.

I did the same on Facebook and WhatsApp. I dont like people knowing when I'm online and expecting a reply (even though I am very good at replying) and I sort of fell into checking when other people had been on too when I was waiting for a reply. It is nice not to have either now.

Did you do that on Facebook itself or the messenger app? I ask because when i used to access Facebook from my laptop i had marked myself as not active but now that i have the messenger app on my phone it keeps showing me as active even if i am not on my phone.
If there is a way to remove my active status from my phone and messanger app i need to know! I find it so annoying.

I just did it on my phone on messenger I don't often use my laptop for Facebook. I know it can show people as active when they are not. I just don't like the principal of it. I don't want people to know or really know when other people are. It can cause problems I think.

🙄

After lots of looking around in the messenger app i found it! Thanks for the thread, OP!

I left F.B & Whatsapp 6 years ago. Its bloody lovely.

I use old fashioned text.

I just waste my life doss on here instead now

I don't have the messenger or Facebook app and just use Facebook via the website. Does this green dot still appear in these circumstances

How do you turn it off on Whatsapp? Can't find it.

I did this years ago. I have a list of 5 or 6 people who can see my active status but not the others.

FrancesFryer

Unless you actually went to the settings and marked yourself offline then probably yes. Can you see other people being online? If yes then you are visible to them as well.