THIS IS A TOTAL GAME CHANGER SURELY

[isitanoaktree]

Whatsapp has now provided an update whereby users can hide their 'online' status. This is honestly brilliant and a long time coming.

I have just breathed an audible sigh of relief knowing that being seen online won't cause issues for me in the future now.

What does this mean though for cheating spouses and partners who were caught out, in part, because they were seen online at odd hours or only ever online when they were locked in the bathroom? Interesting one...

Plays right into the hands of philanderers doesn't it...

Glad I read this op. I’ve just been in my WhatsApp and turned mine off.

I am glad that I read it wherever I did too. And happy to bring good news to some here also :)

I am so confused
I thought I always had all of these things off

surely no status indicator covers everything?

no giving WA access to anything

do I need to do something else now?

If I turn off my online status can I still see if others are online? I would like to be able to stalk others without being stalked 😁

@isitanoaktree ok, so what's the problem with people knowing whether you're online? (And does "online" mean "actively using WhatsApp" in this context?)

I truly don't care if friends know I've read a message but not yet replied. Sometimes people are busy.

Depending on the message context, of course. E.g. "My dog's just died and I'm feeling so sad" would always get a response asap.

So this..

when I am typing, others can see?

Oh, that was meant to have the screenshot in it.

Sadly not. If you scroll up a few posts, @YouBoggleMyMind has posted a helpful picture showing the difference in the two settings.

So you would need to actively go into settings on your phone and change your online status so that nobody can see when you are online, if that is your wish.

I'm so glad it's finally available. I'm not up to anything dodgy but I do have a couple of friends who WhatsApp more often that I can deal with, plus there are work and school group chats and it means I feel I have to avoid WhatsApp completely if I have messages I haven't replied to, as it seems so rude if people can see me online but not replying. I hate when people see me online and phone or text as they know I have the phone in my hand.

No unfortunately. If you turn off your online status then you cannot see when others are online.

I would also like to occasionally be able to stalk others without being stalked so I am with you on that one ha!

All of us who use our personal mobile for work have used this for years - we need the work/life separation and I don’t want my boss seeing me online on Whatsapp at 21:52 on a Thursday night and thinking, ‘great, I’ll just check that thing with her’. Or my mum for that matter 😂

Only the person you are writing to can see that you are typing a message. But everyone else will be able to see that you are online, yes.

No you haven't been using it for years. It is a brand new update! So you might wish to consider that your boss already knows about your frequent WhatsApp use...

Does “on line” mean just being on line in general, ie could be reading the weather, or does it specifically mean on line using WhatsApp?

Oh this is great! Yes totally get the difference and not being able to be seen online is great as I have a few people who will wait to see if I’m online then get upset I haven’t read their message, but I’ve only been online to speak on work calls (we use WA a lot). Drives me mad!

Do people not know they don't have to reply to messages?

It means you are on WhatsApp

Why are people still saying they’ve done this for years? 😂
OP even posted a link to an article which explains that this is a NEW FEATURE.
Honestly, people. 🙄

Exactly this! It can be very draining. And people who are neurodiverse also tell me that it can be especially draining for them.

URGH that is literally the worst - when someone calls you on WhatsApp because they can see you are online. Anxiety level at 100!

Specifically using WhatsApp.

This. I’d never even considered that aspect of this. Last seen was enough for me and if I don’t want to read your message right now, I don’t have to. Couldn’t give two hoots if you see I’m online and talking to someone else.

You absolutely can. Been around for ages. It means you can’t see other people’s online statuses though if you deactivate yours

I can totally relate to this. The next update is great for this exact reason, among others.

OP "So you would need to actively go into settings on your phone and change your online status so that nobody can see when you are online, if that is your wish."

but I did that when I first started using WA so how is it new?

I honestly despair... and I do wonder how people like this conduct themselves in other aspects of their lives! Particularly @LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet who appears to be doubling down on her wrong assertions!