WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It has become an indispensable communication tool for many.
One of the features of WhatsApp is the ability to see the “last seen” status of your contacts – this shows the last time they were actively using WhatsApp. However, having your last seen status visible to everyone can be inconvenient at times.
Fortunately, WhatsApp provides options to disable or limit the visibility of your last seen status. As someone who has used WhatsApp regularly for many years, I will explain the step-by-step process to change these settings on both Android and iOS devices.
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Why Hide Your Last Seen Status
Here are some common reasons you may want to hide your last seen status on WhatsApp:
- Privacy – To prevent contacts from knowing when you are actively using WhatsApp or when you were last online
- Reduce interruptions – To avoid contacts expecting quick replies if they see you are online
- Avoid unwanted conversations – To not feel obligated to reply to certain people right away
- Appear offline – Making yourself shown as offline for personal reasons
Hiding your last seen can be useful in many situations. But it’s a personal choice – weigh the pros and cons to decide what’s best for you.
How to Disable Last Seen Status on Android
Follow these steps to hide your last seen status on Android:
- Open WhatsApp
- Tap on the three dots menu in the top-right corner
- Go to Settings
- Select Account
- Tap on Privacy
- Choose Last seen
- Select Nobody from the options
This will disable your last seen status completely, hiding it from all contacts. They will no longer be able to see your last seen or online status.
You can also choose the “My Contacts” option to show your last seen only to saved contacts. Or select “My Contacts Except” to hide it from specific contacts only.
How to Disable Last Seen Status on iPhone
The process is very similar on iPhones:
- Open WhatsApp
- Tap on Settings at the bottom
- Choose Account
- Go to Privacy
- Select Last Seen
- Tap on Nobody from the list
This will make your last seen and online status invisible to all your WhatsApp contacts if you have an iPhone.
Important Things to Note
Here are some key points to remember when you disable last seen on WhatsApp:
- When you hide your last seen, you won’t be able to see other contacts’ last seen or online status either
- Disabling last seen only hides the last seen status, not your online status
- To hide online status, go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Hide online status
- You can exclude specific contacts from seeing your last seen as well
So in summary, disabling your WhatsApp last seen status is simple on both Android and iPhones. Adjust the privacy settings to suit your needs – whether you want to hide it from everyone, selected contacts, or no one at all. This gives you greater control over your availability and privacy.
