How to See If Someone Is Online on WhatsApp: 5 Legitimate Methods

Life is short, and so is our patience when it comes to seeing if someone is online on WhatsApp. With frustration getting to us and desperation for some insights blurring our critical thinking skills, we covet and look for ways to do so on the Internet.

But then we are bombarded with fancy words like privacy concerns, invasive behavior, ethical consideration, and so on so forth. So, how does one ensure legality while also getting what they need, an answer to whether the other person is active on WhatsApp?

Well, it is easier than you might initially consider. In this article, you will find 5 ways to see their online status.

WhatsApp Online, Last Seen, and Typing: What They Really Mean

All three of WhatsApp’s indicators, i.e., “Online,” “Last Seen,” and “Typing,” provide some insight into the other user’s activity. 

• “Online,” for starters, entails that a person is actively using WhatsApp, be it to see statuses or talk to someone. 

• On the other hand, the “Last Seen” is a timestamped indicator of when a user last visited WhatsApp, even if they did not engage in any activities. 
• Then comes the “Typing” status that appears when the user is actively typing a message in your chat window.

While these indicators are seemingly helpful, there are several discrepancies that can limit visibility into someone’s active status on WhatsApp.

How is the Visibility of Online Status on WhatsApp Affected?

Now, to see exactly how the WhatsApp online status visibility is made difficult for users, we have to look into the factors that cause it in the first place. 

Either Party’s Active Status is Disabled

Privacy settings on WhatsApp allow users to turn off the “Last Seen” or “Online” status using various controls. If you or the other user has their active status set to off, you will not be able to see each other’s WhatsApp activity indicators, as WhatsApp operates under a mutual privacy rule.

Blocked Contacts

When someone has blocked you on WhatsApp, all activity indicators become invisible for that contact. Other activities, like profile photo, status, and related updates, will also not be accessible anymore. 

Therefore, if there is radio silence from someone and you assume they are just not using WhatsApp, you might be wrong and are instead blocked by them.

WhatsApp and Technical Issues

Sometimes the disappearance of online status has nothing to do with a user’s actions and is rather caused by technical glitches. 

For example, poor internet connectivity, app updates, or temporary WhatsApp server maintenance may interrupt real-time insights into someone’s active status. 

To avoid something of the likes from happening, you must keep your app updated and your internet connection stable.

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How to Know If Someone Is Online on WhatsApp: 5 Easy Ways

Now, to touch on how to see if someone is online on WhatsApp, you need to look into 5 proven methods that are not only easy to execute but also legal. 

Keeping in mind your specific needs and the methods you are most comfortable with, select one to get the required insights.

1. Check Message Read Receipt

Read receipts on WhatsApp are small checkmarks that appear next to any message sent by you. When you see a single gray tick under your message, it means that your message is sent, while two gray ticks indicate a message delivered to the other person’s phone. 

However, it does not always remain gray because if the other person reads your message, the checkmarks turn blue. Therefore, if it is marked as read, you can know for sure that they are actively using WhatsApp.

Let’s look into the steps of checking someone’s active status on WhatsApp using read receipts:

1. Go to the WhatsApp app and open the target person’s chat.
2. Drop them a vague message and wait for the message to be delivered.
3. Once the ticks turn blue, it means they have read your message and are active.

However, a clear drawback of this method is the extensive privacy settings on WhatsApp that allow users to disable their read receipts. With the receipts off, the blue ticks will no longer appear, keeping you in the dark.

2. Look for Typing or Recording Indicators

The “Typing” and “Recording” signs can provide the answer about whether they are online on WhatsApp or not. As discussed earlier, the “Typing” status appears beneath the person’s name when they are actively writing a message in the chat. 

Similarly, when they tap the microphone button or hold it down to send a voice message, the “Recording” sign replaces it. These real-time signals confirm if the person is online and interacting with you.

Here’s how to know if someone is online on WhatsApp using different indicators:

1. Open the chat window of the person you want to know the activity status of.
2. Send a message and keep an eye on their name in the chat. 
3. Wait to see a “Typing” or “Recording” sign.
4. If the sign appears, they are active and currently in your chat window.

Well, as is evident, these indicators only appear when the person is actively messaging you. If they do not open the chat or are conversing with someone else, none of the signs will be on display to help you take a guess.

3. Call Them for Confirmation

When you send someone a voice or video call through WhatsApp, if the person on the other end does not have an internet connection, the call window mentions “Calling,” indicating they are not active. 

However, if the “Calling” status turns to “Ringing” after a while, it means the user is likely active on WhatsApp and has a stable connection.

To use WhatsApp calls to your benefit, you can:

1. Go to WhatsApp and open the chat of the target person
2. Tap the phone or video icon at the top of the chat window to initiate a call.
3. Listen to the tone and wait for the status to change from “Calling” to “Ringing.”
4. If it happens, they are connected to WhatsApp and probably active.

Unfortunately, the method does not always yield 100% results. Moreover, if the person has disabled call notifications by setting their phone to “Do Not Disturb,” your call may not ring entirely, even if they are active on the app.

4. See Other WhatsApp Activity

Indirect signs like status updates, profile changes, deleted messages, and views on your own status can help you get the insights you need, too. 

For example, when someone posts a new status or updates their profile picture, the recent activity indicates that they have used the app. Likewise, if you notice deleted messages from their end, it means they were active long enough to drop a few messages and later remove them. 

However, the most efficient is if you upload a status and wait for their view. The recorded timestamp for their view will let you guess when they were last active.

Now, to execute this method, use the given steps:

1. Open the person’s profile from your chat list and look for any deleted messages or changes in the profile.
2. In the “Status” tab, look for any status updates from them and their time.
3. Post your own status and check the view list to find them alongside a timestamp.
4. Use all the insights to get an approximate idea of their last online activity.

While you can get a rough estimate of when they were last active, sometimes privacy settings like limited profile and status visibility or disabled read receipts can be a hindrance.

5. Inquire Directly from the User

Why go through all this hassle when you can also simply ask the other person directly whether they are active on WhatsApp or not? 

Using open communication, you can save yourself both from confusion and false assumptions.

Here’s how to tell if someone is active on WhatsApp:

1. Open your WhatsApp chat window with the target user.
2. Send them a polite message depending on your relationship, like, “Hey, are you there?”
3. Wait for their response and further clarify if needed.

While the method offers direct confirmation, it depends entirely on the person’s honesty and willingness to respond to you.

What Methods You Shouldn’t Use to Check WhatsApp Online Status

Now, you might believe that some shady tools and backhanded methods can give you the answers you need. If so, you must think again since such workarounds are mostly unethical and often illegal. 

Apps like GB WhatsApp and other modified tools violate WhatsApp’s terms and can expose your device to malware. Not only that, third-party trackers that promise to show you their WhatsApp online status are also unreliable and commonly use your sensitive data. 

With your personal information exposed, you will suffer some serious repercussions without getting the updates you need regarding their online status. 

On the other hand, if you come across methods like accessing their WhatsApp web to see what they are up to, know that these are inappropriate and a clear invasion of someone’s privacy.

How to See If Your Child Is Active on WhatsApp

What if the narrative shifts and you find yourself trying to see the online status of your child instead of a friend or an acquaintance? In such a situation, you will need to use a reliable app that can provide you with the required insights. 

Xnspy is one such app created to benefit parents by giving them remote access to their child’s complete phone activity, including WhatsApp. While the setup requires physical access to the target device, after installation, the app runs in stealth mode and updates on its own.

Due to its stealth mode, children are rendered incapable of uninstalling the app from their phones. And the automated updates do not require the parents to repeatedly gain access to the target device.

Afterwards, when it begins running in the phone’s background without consuming much battery or disrupting any functions, the collected data is uploaded to the dashboard in real-time. As soon as the activity is detected, it is logged onto Xnspy’s user-friendly dashboard.

To see what type of data is recorded by Xnspy to allow parents to see whether their child is active on WhatsApp, read below.

Since the app’s screen recorder captures the phone’s screen every 5-10 seconds, the recorded data can show parents whether their child is using WhatsApp or not, alongside the exact timestamps when WhatsApp was accessed.

Likewise, the screen time can tell parents the total amount of time spent on WhatsApp and the frequency of visits. But to know exactly what they did during their time on WhatsApp, parents can look into their WhatsApp conversations in both a chat and list view. 

Lastly, logs for all incoming, outgoing, and missed calls, also record all call-related activity that would otherwise not be visible. 

Let’s see how to know when someone is online on WhatsApp with Xnspy:

1. Visit Xnspy’s website and purchase a plan that includes WhatsApp tracking.
2. Access your child’s phone and install the app on it after receiving the confirmation.
3. After finalizing the setup, hide the app and go to its web dashboard.
4. In the web dashboard, open WhatsApp in IM Chats, screen time, screen recorder, etc., to see their online status.

FAQs

How to get notification when someone is online on WhatsApp?

While there are several third-party apps and online trackers that claim to notify you when someone is online on WhatsApp, using them is not recommended. These tools often violate WhatsApp’s terms of service, access data without consent, and can expose your personal information to security risks or malware. They also raise serious privacy and ethical concerns, as getting notified about someone’s WhatsApp online status without permission is intrusive.

How to tell if someone is online on WhatsApp if they have blocked you?

Blocking removes all visibility of the other person’s activity since you cannot see their “Last Seen,” “Online,” “Typing,” or “Recording” indicators anymore. Their profile photo, status updates, etc., also disappear, making it nearly impossible to confirm whether they are active. However, if you are concerned about your child who has blocked you, then you can instead use a WhatsApp activity tracker like Xnspy to see when they are online and what they are up to.

How to check if someone is online on WhatsApp if they are using WhatsApp Web?

If someone is using WhatsApp Web, you can still check their activity through methods like sending them a message and observing common activity indicators. For suppose, if the checkmarks on your sent message turn blue, it means they are active on WhatsApp, possibly through the web version. Likewise, indicators like “Typing” and “Recording” appear in real time within chat windows even when the person is using WhatsApp Web.

How to tell if someone is active on WhatsApp if they use airplane mode?

When someone has their phone on airplane mode, they cannot be active on WhatsApp since the feature disables both mobile data and Wi-Fi. However, if they later turn Wi-Fi back on while still in airplane mode, WhatsApp connectivity is restored, allowing them to become active again. In such cases, you can simply place a WhatsApp call. If it rings, it means they are connected to the internet and using the app, giving you a clear indication of their current activity.

How to know when someone is online on WhatsApp if they have restricted privacy settings to contacts only?

For someone who has set their WhatsApp privacy settings to “Contacts Only,” you cannot see their “Online” or “Last Seen” status unless you are saved in their contact list. In such cases, you can still look for other activity clues to get a rough guess of their presence. For example, check if they have updated their profile photo, posted a new status, or if they are in your status view list. These small updates suggest they have been active on WhatsApp recently.