Messenger’s active status feature allows your friends to see when you are actively using the app. While this can be useful for coordinating conversations in real-time, you may want to turn it off for privacy or to avoid distractions.
What does the active status mean on Messenger?
The active status on Messenger appears as a green dot next to your name in your friends’ friend lists. It indicates you have the app open and are interactively using it. If you’ve closed the app or have been inactive for a few minutes, the green dot will disappear.
How to turn off active status on desktop
If you use Messenger on a desktop browser, turning off active status is simple:
- Open Messenger and click your profile picture in the top left
- Click “Active Status” in the dropdown menu
- Toggle the switch off for “Show when you’re active”
This will prevent the green active status dot from showing up when you’re using the desktop browser version of Messenger.
How to turn off active status on mobile
The process is similar on mobile:
- Open the Messenger app and tap your profile picture
- Tap “Active Status”
- Toggle off “Active Status”
With active status disabled, your friends won’t see when you’re actively using Messenger on your mobile device.
How to hide active status from specific friends
You can also hide your active status from select friends, while keeping it visible to others:
- Open your friends list in Messenger
- Tap the friend you want to hide status from
- Tap “Friendship Settings”
- Toggle off “Show when you’re active”
Repeat this for each friend you want to hide active status from.
Things to know about disabling active status
- Your active status is hidden immediately when you turn it off
- Friends who already have a Messenger chat open with you won’t see the status change right away
- Disabling active status doesn’t affect your ability to see when friends are active
- You can turn it back on at any time by toggling the “Active Status” switch back on
Reasons people turn off active status
Here are some common reasons Messenger users decide to disable active status:
- Avoid distractions – Removes temptation to constantly check Messenger
- More privacy – Don’t want friends seeing every time you’re on Messenger
- Appear offline – Prevents friends from messaging when you don’t want to chat
- Focus on work – Eliminates distractions during important tasks
- Personal preference – Some users simply don’t like the feature
- Battery saving – May slightly improve battery life by reducing background app activity
Troubleshooting active status issues
If you’re having issues with Messenger’s active status feature, here are some troubleshooting tips:
Active status showing when it’s disabled
- Force quit and restart the Messenger app – This will reload settings
- Check that the Active Status switch is definitely toggled off in your settings
- Log out then back into your Facebook account, which Messenger is tied to
Active status not showing when enabled
- Make sure you have the latest version of Messenger installed
- Force quit then reopen Messenger to refresh the connection
- Toggle active status off and back on again
- Check your internet connection is working properly
Active status inaccurate or intermittent
- Close down background apps and restart your device to free up resources
- Update your device software in case of OS bugs
- Uninstall and reinstall the Messenger app
- Check for connection issues with your internet or mobile data
Conclusion
Having the ability to turn off or customize your active status gives you greater control over your Messenger experience. Disabling it when needed can help reduce distractions, improve privacy, or conserve battery life.
While active status is on by default, toggling it off only takes a few taps in your app settings on both mobile and desktop. Just open your profile, select Active Status, and switch it off or customize it to suit your needs.
| Platform | How to Turn Off Active Status |
|---|---|
| Desktop |
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| Mobile |
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With Messenger’s active status disabled, you can chat on your own terms without constant connectivity. Just be aware your friends will no longer see when you’re actively online.