About last seen and online
Last seen and online tell you the last time your contacts used WhatsApp, or if they're online.
If a contact is online, they have WhatsApp open in the foreground on their device and are connected to the Internet. However, it doesn't necessarily mean the contact has read your message.
Last seen refers to the last time the contact used WhatsApp. Through our privacy settings, you have the option to control who can see your last seen. You may not be able to see someone’s online status unless they have you saved as a contact or have previously messaged you. Please note you can’t control who can see your online in settings.
There are a few reasons why you might not be able to see a contact's last seen:
- They might have set their privacy settings to hide this information.
- You might have set your privacy settings to not share your last seen. If you don't share your last seen, you can't see other contacts' last seen.
- You might have been blocked.