WhatsApp Online Status: What Does Online Mean on WhatsApp? (Update 2023)

Last Updated on 2023-03-10 , 10:26 am

What does “online” mean on WhatsApp? Why is she always online on WhatsApp and never replied to your message? Yes, the WhatsApp online status is confusing, but read on because you can actually now remove it (no kidding).

Nevertheless, Everyone should know what the WhatsApp online status means, right? Hence, to avoid being a Captain Obvious, I messaged some of my friends to see if they knew what the WhatsApp Online Status means.

The second wave of surprise came when some of them actually said:

“When that person reading your message” and “When I read your message”.

Oh well. Looks like it’s time for me to burn some bridges.

I’m just kidding. Anyway, now I think I can understand why so many people are confused by the “online” status. So, what does “online” really mean on WhatsApp? Is someone really reading your message? If someone is online on WhatsApp, does it mean they are chatting (maybe not with you)?

Let me explain the WhatsApp online meaning.

WhatsApp Online Status: What Does Online Mean on WhatsApp?

The first type, also known as “last seen”, is the most common status you will see. In fact, it’s so self-explanatory I don’t think I need to explain it.

(Just in case, it’s referring to the timing a person last used Whatsapp, and has nothing to do with the WhatsApp Online Status)

Next, would be “typing”.

It’s the status you get when you have people to talk to.

Or, when people actually bothered to reply. Some people would stay there forever because they can only type one word a minute.

Last but not least, “online”.

WhatsApp Online Status & NOT TYPING

So, does online on Whatsapp mean they are talking to someone?

Yes and no.

“Online” simply means that the person is using Whatsapp at the moment and he/she is connected to the internet. That’s when WhatsApp shows online.

The person could be replying another friend or crafting an important message in another chat.

Hence, he/she could just be too busy to look at your messages at the moment. “Online” does not necessarily mean that the person has seen your message. Remember, unless you’re a loner like me, a person would have lots of chats in his or her account, it means he or she is looking or replying to other messages.

If it’s your message, then it would’ve changed to “Typing”.

Another way to know if a person has seen your messages will be the blue ticks.

If the ticks have turned blue and the person is in “last seen”, I guess it’s time to delete that fella’s contacts!

…Nah, please don’t do that. Maybe that person’s colleague started a conversation with him/her. It’s common courtesy to put down your phone when speaking to another person, no?

Either way, if you’re free enough to stalk a person’s status…well, you probably need a hobby or something.

Go get some fresh air and stop staring at your screen!

We can Finally Control WhatsApp Online Status

Here’s a piece of good news: if you’re one who hates the WhatsApp Online status, you can turn it off since November 2022.

WhatsApp has rolled out a feature allows you to hides your online status.

It just takes a few steps. Go to Settings > Privacy > Last Seen and Online.

Tap on the option of ‘Nobody’ under the last seen category, and then choose ‘Same as last seen’ for the next section.

This is a step forward from when WhatsApp users were able to turn off their ‘Last Seen’ feature.

Now, you can message (or ignore) anyone while remaining virtually invisible.

However, your contacts can still see you typing a message if they happen to be online at the same time. So don’t think you can type a long breakup letter, or use WhatsApp to prepare your shopping list.