How to hide 'last seen' on WhatsApp
What's the story
WhatsApp provides a handy option to hide "last seen," giving you more privacy and control over who could see your online activity.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to tweak your settings in a way that your "last seen" is visible only to the people you choose.
Whether you want more privacy or just want to manage your online presence, these steps will help.
Privacy settings
Accessing privacy settings
To start hiding your "last seen" status, open WhatsApp and head over to the settings menu.
From there, tap on "Account" and then "Privacy."
Here, you'll find a number of options related to the visibility and security of your account.
From this section, you can control who sees what on your profile, including the "last seen" status.
Visibility options
Choosing who can see your status
Within the privacy settings, look for the "last seen" option.
Here, you'll see three options: "Everyone," "My Contacts," and "Nobody."
If you select "Everyone," anyone with your number can see when you were last online.
The "My Contacts" option limits this information to people saved in your phone's contact list.
Meanwhile, "Nobody" ensures no one can see your "last seen" time.
Save changes
Saving your preferences
After choosing your preferred visibility option for your last seen status, make sure you save the changes before leaving the menu.
This is important because it ensures that WhatsApp applies the new settings right away.
Once saved, only those you've permitted will be able to see when you were active last on the app.
Limitations
Understanding limitations of hiding 'last seen'
It's important to note that hiding your "last seen" status also keeps you from seeing others' statuses, unless they have opted for similar privacy settings as yours.
Also, while this feature improves privacy on the front of online activity times, it doesn't impact other things like read receipts or profile picture visibility, unless tweaked separately in privacy settings.