If you tap on someone's Whatsapp icon and it says they are typing ...

[LaureBerthaud]

Are they typing a message for you. Or could it be anyone?

They are typing to you. You don’t see when they are typing to others

I always assumed it was a msg being typed for you...

Thanks!

And if it says they are "on line" does it mean they are on Whatapp or could they be on Mumsnet or erm I dunno - is there anything other than Mumsnet?!

Online on WhatsApp

Thanks!

Yep -
typing > they are sending a msg to you.
On line > sending a msg to someone else , or reading the msg you have just sent them .

I think it means they are typing to anyone. Otherwise there's some random old school friends in my WhatsApp list who all seem to be about to send me a message and never do!!

When it says they are online there could be a delay of a minute or two and they’re actually offline.

I discovered this when DH and I were in the same room sharing memes and photos.

Typing means they are typing to you. Not to anyone else.

I've tested this with a friend, typing is when writing a message to you only.

But online is just somewhere on WhatsApp

If they have started drafting a response back to you and then closed the app without sending it then it will say they are typing even when they are not in the app.

I discovered this when I hit one letter to reply by mistake but closed the app and someone was waiting for my response 😁

They can be typing to others if you are just looking at your contacts list and it says they are typing, not sure on icon but would imagine the same. If your in your chat with them and they are typing I think that is to you

Typing to you only.

And “online” relates to WhatsApp only; how on earth would they know if you were online generally? Everyone’s online all the time.

even if they show as typing when you're in your list of chats it's still only to you. They don't show as typing when typing to someone else

Can be typing to you or typing to a group that you are both in I think?

@ceeveebee

Can be typing to you or typing to a group that you are both in I think?

No. If you are on the screen of one-on-one conversation and see typing, they are typing only to you.

I only ever go by the ticks. If there are 2 blue, you know theyve seen what you've typed.

'online' just means whatsapp is open on their phone. It could be on in the background while they're doing something else eg browsing mumsnet