Sometimes you need to reply to an urgent work message on WhatsApp, but you know that the second you open the app, your overly-talkative relative will see you are “Online” and immediately start calling you.
For years, WhatsApp only gave us the nuclear option: hide your online status from everyone, or hide it from no one. Recently, they finally added the ability to blacklist specific people from seeing you. Here is how to set it up.
Step-by-Step Guide to Selective Stealth Mode
Before you begin, go to your app store and make sure your WhatsApp is updated to the latest version.
- Open WhatsApp and tap the three dots (â‹®) in the top right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Tap on Privacy.
- Tap on Last seen and online at the top of the list.
Here is where the magic happens. You need to configure the top section before the bottom section.
- Under “Who can see my Last Seen”, select My contacts except…
- Your contact list will open. Select the specific people you want to hide from (like your boss or that talkative relative). Tap the green checkmark to save.
- Now, look at the bottom section titled “Who can see when I’m online”.
- Change it from “Everyone” to Same as last seen.
What Does the Blocked Person See?
When you use this method, the people you selected will open your chat and see absolutely nothing under your name. They won’t see “Online,” and they won’t see a timestamp of when you were last active. It looks exactly as if you had blocked them—except they can still successfully send you messages.
The One Drawback You Must Accept
WhatsApp’s privacy rules are a two-way street. Because you chose to hide your “Online” and “Last Seen” status from those specific contacts, you will no longer be able to see their Online status either.
FAQ
Does this hide the “Typing…” indicator too?
No. Even if you hide your Online status, if you open their specific chat and begin typing a message to them, they will still see the “typing…” indicator.
Faizan Ahmed is a senior IT specialist and the lead editor at TechWiredWorld. With over a decade of experience repairing PCs and mobile devices, his mission is to provide clear, actionable tech troubleshooting guides.