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...

My DS has had his 'last seen' and on/offline status hidden for at least a year. I can see when he's read something, and when he's typing, and that's it. He switched his settings when he realised I could see how late he was staying up by checking WA.

It isn’t. Hiding ‘last seen’ is old, but you couldn’t hide being automatically seen as ‘online’ until very recently.

Online means opening the app or leaving it open, even if you’re not actively messaging.

WhatsApp online anxiety?

wtaf - I genuinely don't get this - why is this a thing? Do you live your life micro-analysing every last twitch that people make, and are hung up about what people think. Do people really get so welded to a metal object with a screen on it that their life becomes a prison??

I use WhatsApp but I just cannot identify with what you've described. It sounds like an illness that needs to be cured.

I thought I had been sucked into a black hole, a parallel universe.

thank goodness you came by to save me.

Not least of all the click bait title. Are you honestly saying that as you're typing it with Caps Lock on, you didn't see that? Chinny reckon to that I'm afraid.

Oh and this! Quite happy in the parallel@daisychain01 😁

Ye gods, me too @MuthaHubbard

Oh yes, that's much more of a development for me!

I'm only 5 pages into what is possibly turning into a classic. But this one needed a special 🤣🤣🤣

Thanks OP, I was more ambivalent about online than last seen but on balance I'm happier off. I like time and space to reply when it works for me.

Care to bottle and share your perfect mental health and circumstances there @daisychain01 ? Lot more productive than patronising people.

I can’t believe how weirdly obsessed you are by this. Who has the time for this level of analysis of what others are doing? By posting what a ‘game changer’ this is you are clearly one of those people, despite your protestations otherwise. Plenty of people do all sorts of weird shit, doesn’t mean you have to get involved. It doesn’t have to be an ideal world before you stop being obsessed by how other people use messaging apps!

Or maybe some people are not so obsessed with their phone that they never give a moment's thought to their online status or anyone else's?

I also didn't think it was new. My Whatsapp is set so that people cant tell when I am online, always has been. It also means I can't tell if someone else is online, ,but I can live with that.

Yup!

This thread has absolutely KILLED me. So many people are wrong and strong in the comments. So many of you clearly don’t understand how Whatsapp works so why are you coming on here to say ‘I’ve been doing that for years’ when you really haven’t…

Everytime someone posts about being excited for this update, so many people say ‘this isn’t new’ etc. Do you not have access to Google to do a quick check? It’s so embarrassing reading some of the comments😂

You were able to turn off your last seen but it always shows when someone is online if you catch them at the same time that you’re online. Thanks OP for the thread, I didn’t know the new update had it yet! I’ve been waiting for this haha

This thread 🤣

OP I updated to get the new feature, and it wasn't there! And then I checked again a few days ago and now suddenly it is.

The only problem is though, is if you turn your seen online off, you can't see anyone else being online either.

It's the same as the time stamp, that when you turn yours off, you can't see anyone else's either.

Thank you everyone of making me feel even better than I did already for not using this form of communication.

I look forward to another thread which makes me feel as good about not being on Facebook.

This is great news! But I just knew this thread would be half celebration and half middle aged tech illiterates wrongly declaring this feature has already been around for ages.

Ooh gosh, given the level of tech literacy demonstrated by so many on this thread I’m not sure they’d know if they were beta testers 😂

Excellent thread! So many aggressively wrong posters!

Don't forget the smattering of 'what plebs you all are for using this foolish communication tool'

That explains that then
thanks
I don’t get given any options on the archived chats. Shame.

i like to know if dd abroad is ok and having an online status helps

It's definitely something new. The last seen is what's been around longer.

Thanks op, I didn't know about this and it will stop me feeling guilty for being online and not responding to all my messages.

I’m long past “middle aged”, I’m not tech savvy, but even this old bird “got it”.
I believe the op has the patience of a saint.
the unbelievable amount of posters that insist black is fact white…. WOW!
only thing I’m not sure of now…
when I’m typing will folk be able to see that I’m typing to another person, and therefore give them ammunition to say, “well I saw you typing, so I just knew you were available”….
gee, yes people can be that invasive and quite frankly, rude!
I hate being put in the position of trying to explain why I can’t answer a message there and then.
So yes again… hurrah for the very (this week) recent update.