The word “status” on WhatsApp has two different meanings. It can either refer to Instagram story-like images and videos that get deleted 24 hours after posting to your online status. This shows up at the top of a chat, alerting the other party that you’re currently online and approachable. It’s possible to hide both statuses from being viewed by certain people. So follow us in this tutorial, as we show you how to hide a WhatsApp status.
Good to know: worried that you’ve been blocked on WhatsApp? Learn how to know for sure.
How to Hide Your Online Status on WhatsApp
Hiding your online status can prevent others from seeing all your comings and goings online, allowing you more privacy.
Android
Open WhatsApp on your phone, and press on the three dots in the upper-right corner.
Select Settings, then go to Privacy.
Tap on Last seen and online.
Select Nobody under Who can see my last seen, then tap on Same as last seen under Who can see when I’m online. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to retain your last seen status while having your online status disabled, although the reverse is possible.
You can also opt to hide your online status from select contacts. First, tap on My contacts except … under Who can see my last seen, and select the contacts in question. Opt for Same as last seen under Who can see when I’m online.
Note: if you disable your online status, you won’t be able to see when other people are online, either.
iOS
Open WhatsApp and press the Settings button at the bottom.
Select Privacy. Go to Last Seen & Online, and modify your preferences as explained in the above section.
Tip: learn how to change your WhatsApp profile or group picture in this guide.
How to Hide Your WhatsApp Status Updates from Specific People When Posting
When it comes to the other kind of WhatsApp status – which can be either an image or video – you can specify whether you want to hide it from specific people while you’re creating the post.
Open WhatsApp on your phone, and switch to the Updates tab if you’re on Android. On iOS, press the Updates button on the lower side of the display.
Press on My status to add your status. Either upload it or take a photo/record the video using the WhatsApp camera.
Add improvements (if any) on the editing screen. Tap on the Status button at the bottom.
Choose one of two options: My contacts expect … then select only the individuals you don’t want to see your status, or Only share with … then select only the individuals you do want to see your status.
Once you’ve made your choice, press on Done, then press the arrow in the lower-right corner to proceed.
FYI: learn how to use WhatsApp to share your location?
How to Hide Your WhatsApp Status Updates from Specific People Before Posting
Don’t want to change the privacy settings whenever you want to post a status update on WhatsApp? You don’t have to. There are two methods to tweak these settings before doing the actual posting to ensure the adjustments will be applied to every status you post moving forward.
Updates Tab
Switch to the Updates tab in WhatsApp for Android. On iOS, press Updates at the bottom. Tap on the three dots in the upper right, then select Status privacy.
You’ll see the same two options outlined in the section above. Tweak your privacy from there. The changes will be applied to all the statuses you post from now on.
Settings
Open WhatsApp on Android, press on the three dots in the upper-right corner, and select Settings. In the iOS app, press Settings in the bottom menu.
Tap on Privacy, then select Status.
Use one of the two options discussed above to modify your sharing preferences.
Tip: check out how to create chat folders in Telegram, and organize your conversations.
How to Hide Your Status Updates from Specific People After Posting
If you were in a hurry to post and forgot to tweak your status privacy settings, unfortunately, you can’t go back and change it.
If you’ve made a mistake, we suggest you delete the status as soon as you realize what happened, then repost it with the right privacy settings.
Tip: if you need a more private messaging app, check out these WhatsApp alternatives that focus on privacy.
If you rely on WhatsApp for most of your messaging activities, learning how to make the most of it can be useful to you. Start by checking out our guide regarding channels, a new feature you may want to start taking advantage of. If you’ve been using WhatsApp for a while, learn how to search WhatsApp messages for relevant information and more.
All images & screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
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