Tired of receiving unnecessary messages from your Facebook friends whenever you’re online? If so, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll demonstrate how to prevent your friends from seeing when you’re active on Facebook. We’ll guide you through hiding your ‘Active’ status on Facebook across Android, iOS, and the web, effectively reducing unsolicited messages from friends when you’re online. This entails turning off the green dot that indicates your online status on your Facebook profile.
Concealing ‘Active’ Status From Friends on Facebook (2021)
How do your friends know you’re online? What does the green dot on Facebook mean? The green dot indicates the user’s online status, signifying active presence on the platform. Besides the green dot, you may encounter a grey crescent moon, indicating idle status, and an empty grey circle, representing offline status. The grey circle suggests the user has disabled chat.
This article demonstrates how to conceal your online status (the green dot next to your profile picture) from your Facebook friends. You can achieve this through the Facebook website using any web browser or the Facebook mobile app on Android and iOS. Let’s explore how to hide your ‘Active’ status from Facebook friends on the web, Android, and iPhone.
Table Of Contents
Disable Green Dot on Facebook via Web
- Log in to Facebook and click the Messenger icon in the left sidebar.
- Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the Messenger window and select “Preferences“.
- Choose “Turn off Active Status” from the menu.
- Select your preferred option to hide your Active status on Facebook. Then, click “OK” to save.
Note: You can turn off Active status for all contacts or only the most annoying or irrelevant ones. To whitelist contacts and block everyone else from seeing your online status, select option 2 (Turn off Active status for all contacts except…). Alternatively, to selectively turn off Active status for some contacts, select option 3 (Turn off Active status for only some contacts…). In both cases, enter the names of the target contacts and hit “OK” once you are done.
On Android
- Open the Facebook app on your Android device and tap the Messenger icon at the top-right corner. You will need to have the Messenger app (Free) installed for this to work. In the Messenger app, go to “Chats”.
Upon reaching the next screen, locate your Messenger settings. Choose the “Active Status” option, then disable the “Show when you’re active” toggle. This action will deactivate the green dot next to your name on Facebook.Confirm your choice by selecting “Turn Off” on the pop-up window to conceal your Active status on Facebook.With these steps, you’ve effectively hidden your Active status on Facebook via the Android app.For iOS (iPhone and iPad) Users:Open the Facebook app on your iPhone or iPad, then tap the hamburger menu (three parallel lines) positioned at the bottom-right corner. Expand the “Settings and Privacy” section and choose “Settings”.
- Under the Privacy sub-section, select “Active Status” and turn off the “Show when you’re active” toggle on the next page. Confirm when asked.
Congratulations. You have now hidden your Active status on Facebook using the iOS app on your iPhone. Your Facebook friends will no longer see a green dot on your profile picture even when you are online and actively browsing through the social network.
Hide Online Status (Green Dot) on Facebook to Appear Offline
Facebook is notorious for its privacy breaches, but people keep using it despite the Delete Facebook campaigns. So if you are annoyed by unsolicited messages while using Facebook, use this guide to hide your Active status from friends. If you want to enhance your online privacy, consider deleting Facebook to reduce tracking. Conversely, if you enjoy interacting with friends and family on Facebook, enable dark mode on Android and iOS for relief while texting.
Pritam Chopra is a seasoned IT professional and a passionate blogger hailing from the dynamic realm of technology. With an insatiable curiosity for all things tech-related, Pritam has dedicated himself to exploring and unraveling the intricacies of the digital world.
