On Facebook and soon Instagram, other users can see when you are online through a green dot on your profile picture. We explain how you can prevent this.

As our cooperation partner checked4you reports, Instagram is now also adopting what Facebook has been doing for some time: small green dots are displayed on the profile picture for some users. They mean that the user is currently online in the corresponding social network. This is called activity status on Facebook and Insta.

If no dot is visible, there can be three reasons:

  1. The user is not online at the moment,
  2. the user does not display when he is online or
  3. you don't let it show when you're online. Because if you turn off your activity status, you will no longer see that of others either.

Here's how to turn your activity status on and off on Facebook and Instagram:

Instagram app

In the Instagram app, tap on the three dots at the top right of your profile (on Android) and this will take you to the settings.

Screenshot by checked4you
Screenshot by checked4you

Now you have to scroll down a little until you see the “Activity status” entry. You tap that.

Screenshot by checked4you
Screenshot by checked4you

Here you can now set whether you want to be visible to others when you visit Instagram or not.

Screenshot by checked4you
Screenshot by checked4you

In the Facebook app, tap the burger menu at the top right (on Android; on iOS it's a gear at the bottom) to go to the app's settings.

Screenshot by checked4you
Screenshot by checked4you

Scroll down a bit, open “Settings and Privacy” and then “Settings”.

Screenshot by checked4you
Screenshot by checked4you

Scroll down again and tap “Activity Status”.

Screenshot by checked4you
Screenshot by checked4you

Here you can now decide whether other Facebook users should see when you are online.

Screenshot by checked4you
Screenshot by checked4you
DANGER!

Your settings always apply to each individual device! This means that if you use the Facebook or Instagram app on a phone and a tablet, for example, and turn off activity status only in the apps on the phone, it can still be turned on on the tablet.

Facebook's Messenger uses its own activity status as an app, regardless of your settings in the Facebook app. If you also want to remove the green dot in Messenger, tap on your profile picture in the app and then turn off the activity status under your profile picture.

And if you use Facebook on a PC, you can turn off your activity status in the chat window at the bottom right:

Screenshot by Consumer Center NRW
Screenshot by Consumer Center NRW

Then click on “Turn off activity status”:

Screenshot by Consumer Center NRW
Screenshot by Consumer Center NRW

Here you can choose between three options:

Screenshot by Consumer Center NRW
Screenshot by Consumer Center NRW


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )